THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE STILL WAITING MORE THAN A YEAR FOR NHS TREATMENT - LAMB

1.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 7th Jun 2007

Commenting on waiting list figures published today showing the Government is missing its waiting list target of 18 weeks for over half of all inpatients, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary and Member of Parliament for North Norfolk, Norman Lamb said: "These figures demonstrate how far we have to go to catch up with most other developed countries. Behind the statistics, thousands of sick people are still waiting more than a year for hospital treatment. This is a daily tragedy."

"Why does the Government not publish how long people are waiting over a year? How long do these long waits really last? Moreover there are some areas like audiology that aren't even included in this target.

"It is true we are still paying the price for chronic under-investment by the Tories, but there is no excuse for these figures given the extra funds invested by Labour."