Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:41 pm on 27 September 2022.
I go back—it's not a matter of saying 'sorry', is it? It's about making sure that we are able to help the health board deliver the procedures and the surgery that are required as soon as possible. You make it sound as if it's only in Wales that we have waiting lists; of course we have waiting lists right across the UK. I appreciate we are looking at north Wales now and, as you're aware, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board have had issues. We've put significant resources, both human and financial, into helping them with targeted intervention particularly. We're absolutely determined to tackle the backlog. I mentioned the funding that the Minister for Health and Social Services has put in. We are aware of how difficult it is for people who are waiting for a long time for treatment. We do continue to make progress to reduce the longest waits, and the number of patient pathways waiting more than two years did fall—I think it was the fourth consecutive month they've fallen. So, we are seeing some progress. It's now 14 per cent lower than the peak that we had in March this year.