SNP Leader Mr John Swinney MSP today (Thursday) revealed another Labour waiting list fiddle as he challenged Jack McConnell at First Minister's Questions to explain why patients were being "reclassified" and removed from the waiting list figures. Speaking after Question Time, Mr Swinney said:

"Jack McConnell has been caught out yet again fiddling the waiting list figures. NHS Board minutes reveal that patients are being ‘reclassified' as outpatients and removed from the waiting list as a result.

"These patients are still waiting for treatment but miraculously disappear from the waiting list figures.

"This is a double dodge that not only makes it seem as though the waiting list is falling, but also resets the clock on each patients' waiting time. Even if a patient has waited months for treatment, the moment they are reclassified, the clock starts again at zero.

"For almost five years, we have seen Labour repeatedly fail to deliver on their waiting list promises yet they refuse to be honest about the problems the health service is facing.

"As each new dodge is uncovered, it is becoming increasingly difficult to believe a word Jack McConnell says."