Acute Hospital Services

Part of Opposition Day — [6th Allotted Day] – in the House of Commons at 1:54 pm on 21 February 2007.

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Photo of Andrew Lansley Andrew Lansley Shadow Secretary of State for Health 1:54, 21 February 2007

I am sorry, but the hon. Gentleman is completely missing the point. A GP in Yorkshire who used choose and book said that he made a decision on the basis of the available waiting times at different hospitals. The primary care trust then took that decision away and negated it by saying that people had to wait 17 weeks anyway. I do not see what point the hon. Gentleman is making. We are not against direct booking or online booking. He ought to take the matter up with his colleagues on the Front Bench, whose job it was to deliver choose and book on time and who have not done so. Norman Warner pushed off. He was supposed to deliver choose and book, but he has gone already. He has got other fish to fry, and perhaps we will talk about them later.