To ask the Scottish Executive whether its 18-week patient waiting time target will be maintained following the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing’s announcement on 29 May 2007 on availability status codes. Yes, I expect NHS boards tocontinue to deliver the current 18 week in-patient and day case treatmentwaiting times target, whilst ensuring that Availability Status Codes areabolished and new arrangements for measuring waiting times are introduced asquickly as possible and certainly by the end of this year.We will consult on proposalsto introduce individual waiting time guarantees in due course.