Mr. Michael Fitzgerald:

There are two different questions to address. We have been formally maintaining a waiting list for between a year and a half and two years, collected throughout the country. It is ever-increasing and currently has just under 6,500 people on it nationally. A question was asked about whether it varies from one area to another. It does, somewhat. The north side of Dublin city, community healthcare organisation, CHO, 9 has one of the largest waiting lists at approximately 1,400 people. The Galway, Mayo and Roscommon area is at a similar level. There are also waiting lists in the urban areas. West Dublin, CHO 7, has significant waiting lists, as does CHO 8, which covers an area from the midlands up to north-east Dublin. They are the largest. However, they are all carrying significant waiting numbers.