Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I, too, would like to refer back to the previous question in the context of this one because that is what I meant when I said it was a policy issue in regard to the GP referral letters. As the Minister said, pathways of care are crucial to ensure we have proper relationships between the primary care system and the acute hospitals.

I would like to know when we will get information, and I do not believe the Minister answered that in response to Deputy Reilly's question. I gather it is planned to have information on the number of people with referrals from GPs and who await outpatient appointments. From my experience, more people are waiting a very long time before they even get to the outpatient department and on to the waiting lists. Will the Minister clarify when that information will be made available?

My second question relates to orthopaedics, which would be one of the large specialties in the work of the National Treatment Purchase Fund. Orthopaedic beds and orthopaedic theatres in a number of hospitals, in particular in the western area, are being closed. As a result, highly specialised orthopaedic surgeons cannot do the full quantum of work they used to be able to do. Will the Minister examine this in the context of value for money and the fact that many patients are going on to longer waiting lists and to the National Treatment Purchase Fund list? Public hospitals cannot do the work because beds and theatres are being closed and people are being sent to private hospitals, in some cases far from their homes, to have the work done.

See this speech in context