Ms Eilísh Hardiman:

With his question the Deputy has identified that the inequality in the system is related to access to outpatients services. Once a person has a referral to use a facility within the hospital, whether as a day case, an inpatient or otherwise, he or she is put on the list and prioritised according to clinical need. The inequality in access lies in an outpatient's opportunity to get to see a consultant earlier than he or she would via the public system. However, once such a patient is referred on, he or she is put on the list, as everybody else is, based on clinical need.