Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Martin has raised an important point, the details of which I will not go into. In October last year, the orthopaedic outpatient service in Limerick had a waiting list of 10,900 people. In the six months since then, the evolution of the National Treatment Purchase Fund into the special delivery unit has reduced the waiting list by almost 33%, and it now stands at 7,477. To be fair, Deputy Martin should note that we must validate the figures. Some of these people have been waiting for a very long time and some may well have had treatment elsewhere. I expect the validated figures to be available for everybody towards the end of the month.

The health information Bill is not due until early next year.

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