Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Cathaoirleach's new position. I have no doubt but that she will continue the good work of the previous Chair in chairing this committee and doing it in a cross-party way. Our work in this committee is very important, but so is the way we do our work. It is important and different from other committees. I acknowledge this point.

I thank Mr. Gloster and all the team for being with us today. Before I go to my line of questioning, I will comment on something Deputy Cannon said. The quality of data held about people also improves the quality of the interactions that people have. It is not all just about medical outcomes. As we all are now, I was out knocking on a door in Beaumont three weeks ago. I was chatting away with a lady. She had received a letter from Beaumont Hospital regarding the neurology outpatient and an appointment for her husband. It asked if the outpatient appointment was still required. Extremely sadly and unfortunately, her husband had passed away 11 years earlier.

Look, we all have databases and we have all sent emails where the data might not have been correct. Whatever infrastructure or architecture, though, is being put in place around this context, we must also be very cognisant about tying in data around people passing away. This has such an impact on people. Even getting a letter regarding the voter register can really set people back in their grief and so on. As the HSE, then, is building this system, I ask that it would fold in the available data. I know this can come from different sources. I do not say this to criticise Beaumont Hospital. The question that did arise for me was how much of our outpatient waiting lists would be in this category of inactive activity, if we wish to put it in this way. Has the HSE done an audit or any sort of deep dive concerning our outpatient lists?