Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)

I thank the witnesses for coming in. It is great to see them here and great to get answers to questions. The waiting time has improved, decreasing from 9.2 months to 7.2 months. Does the HSE see the wait time further improving? Outpatient wait time has decreased from 12 months to 6.8 months. Will there be further movement in that regard? Some hospitals seem to be doing a lot better than others on waiting lists. Is that due to management or funding? What is the reason? I do not want to put the witnesses on the spot but from looking at the report, some hospitals are doing a lot better than others.

I will be a wee bit parochial about Donegal. Cancer treatment waiting times in Letterkenny are up to 22 days. The HSE says the average wait time is 15 working days and in hospitals in Mayo it is down to 13 days. We really need to get on top of this. It is totally wrong that people are discriminated against on the basis of where they live and cannot get the same care as people in other counties. It is a big question in Donegal, and maybe one I should not ask, but seeing as the officials are here, what is the position regarding a surgical hub? I have been inundated with queries about it since I came here on 18 February. The issue is growing legs and people think Letterkenny hospital is being left behind.