Leader of the Welsh Conservatives and Clwyd West MS Darren Millar has challenged the Welsh Government over its failure to publish the latest NHS waiting times figures when they were due last week.

The NHS statistics are usually published on the third Thursday of every month, which means the latest should have been released last week, November 20th. However, they failed to materialise, prompting Darren to challenge the Welsh Government on whether the delay was deliberate.   

He said:

"Last week, the Welsh Government was due to publish the latest NHS statistics for waiting times across Wales.

"It's important data because it enables members of the public, as well as Members of this Senedd, to hold the Welsh Government and their local health boards to account in terms of the performance.

"What many people are scratching their heads about is why on earth that information wasn't published last week and whether there are any politics involved in the delaying of these statistics.

"Now, if there aren't any politics, then we deserve an explanation as to what's holding these things up.

"It is not right that people elsewhere in the United Kingdom can see much more live and up-to-date information on the performance of the NHS than we can here in Wales.

"The latest statistics that we have on referral-to-treatment times are old, go back to August of this year. That's not good enough so I'd like an urgent statement brought forward to explain this and why we're in this mess."

Responding, the Trefnydd, Jane Hutt MS, insisted the delay is the result of a "data issue" and said the statement will be rescheduled.

Speaking after the meeting, Darren said:

"Our NHS is broken and people have already lost confidence in the system. These delays in releasing waiting-time data only serve to erode public confidence further."

Watch Darren’s contribution in the Welsh Parliament below: