Welsh Health Minister Jane Hutt has defended her record after the latest figures revealed that people in Wales are waiting longer for operations.

In the figures, released by the Welsh Assembly Government on Wednesday, those waiting more than 12 months for surgery rose by 4.4% to 9,627 and those waiting 18 months by nearly 7%.

I've doubled the budget in four years, I've brought down waiting times (but) there's a lot more to do and I recognise it Welsh Health Minister Jane Hutt

Ms Hutt said she regretted that the Welsh Assembly Government is likely to miss Labour's manifesto pledges on cutting waiting lists.

In the Labour Party manifesto for the 1999 Welsh Assembly elections, it was promised that by the end of the first term of a Labour administration, no-one would have to wait more than 18 months for an operation.

Ms Hutt told BBC Radio Wales on Thursday: "I regret that expectations will not be met.

"I've doubled the budget in four years, I've brought down waiting times (but) there's a lot more to do and I recognise it."

Progress

Ms Hutt added that the Welsh Assembly Government had made progress on reform of the health service and had increased the number of doctors and nurses in Welsh hospitals.

She said: "We've been focusing on investment and reform from the day I became health minister for Wales.

"We have made progress."

The waiting list figures came out on the same day as a report , commissioned by the minister, into lengthy waiting lists for orthopaedic services in Gwent.

Professor Brian Edwards of Sheffield University found excessive waiting times in the Gwent NHS Trust and called for an increase in bed capacity.

Waiting times at the Royal Gwent Hospital, in Newport, were last year revealed to be among the longest in the UK.

'Disastrous news'

Shadow Health Minister Dai Lloyd, of Plaid Cymru, said: "This is more disastrous news for the Assembly Government coming on the day that Professor Brian Edwards calls for more beds in his report on orthopaedic treatment in Gwent.

"The priority must be to develop the health service and provide more beds, more doctors and more nurses."

David Melding AM, Welsh Conservative spokesman for health and social services, said: "Jane Hutt has broken her own dismal record and produced the worst waiting list figures yet.

"The monthly increase for December 2002 was...the highest monthly waiting list increase since the minister made her promise to cut waiting lists in June 2000."

'Not good enough'

Kirsty Williams of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, who chairs the assembly's health and social services, said: "It is simply not good enough that any patient has to wait too long for treatment.

"The real, long term solution is to increase the capacity of the health service in Wales.

"That's why we are training more doctors, nurses and health professionals.

"However, no one can reduce the time it take to train a doctor and after 20 years of under-investment it will take time for improvements to show."