Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response. As she said, there has been a reduction in the waiting lists. I went through how it has been done. Cases were outsourced to the Mater Hospital and the Bon Secours Hospital, and other initiatives were involved. More than 3,600 women are still on the waiting list. It is a frightening figure in many ways. My main concern is that a theatre sitting is there, which will not be open in 2018. The lack of the consultants and other staff required to work in that theatre is a huge issue for the people of Cork. I hope the Minister of State will talk to the Minister for Health to clarify when the theatre can open and if there is a proposal to recruit the required staff and consultants. We have the solution. We have the theatre and the infrastructure but we need the manpower and budget. We have 3,600 people waiting for that to happen.