To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) in-patients and (b) out-patients were treated in NHS hospitals in Wales in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the figures were in 1979.

In 1979, 349,695 in-patients and 1,803,728 out-patients were treated in NHS hospitals in Wales. The latest comparable information for the year ended 31 March 1990 shows that 469,928 in-patients and 2,313,309 out-patients were treated. That is an increase of 34 per cent. in in-patients and 28 per cent. in out-patients treated.

Does my hon. Friend agree that those figures, above all others, show the improvement in the health service in Wales during the past 10 years?

Yes, my hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is important to make sure that we treat as many people as possible in the health service as quickly as possible. People talk about the waiting list. I am concerned to ensure that The Times for which people in Wales have to wait to have their operations are brought down as quickly as possible. That is one of the key parts of the NHS "Agenda for Action".