Over 85% of waiting list removals are made as a result of patient care, and since the end of the pandemic, unreported removals have been below pre-pandemic levels. Record levels of elective activity are being delivered by NHS staff, enabling us to cut waiting lists and meet our interim target of 65% of patients being seen within 18 weeks—the highest performance in over four years.

If anyone has forgotten, the last Labour Government left the NHS in a better state than it was under successive Governments. The point that the Conservatives seem to be intent on following up forever is an important one. Some 85% of the activity is a result of direct patient care. Validation, both clinical and clerical, is a long-standing routine practice of waiting list management. At roughly 15%, it is no different now from what it has been before.

We do not have any plans to add new targets, but we understand the way waiting lists are managed and aim to support patients in understanding their treatment pathway. Part of our commitment is that patients are kept up to date about where they are being treated and why they might be referred to a more local service.

As I have said, patients are referred to a waiting list but then left for years under previous management. We ensure that there is adequate validation of the lists and that patients receive care as needed, often closer to home. Patients are getting the right care in the right place.

This is an established way of managing waiting lists and we have committed to greater transparency. We will continue providing data, which shows that validation of the lists is standard practice and that figures remain consistent over years.