Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 366: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if information on consultants' waiting lists for each consultant in each specialty is made available to general practitioners on a countrywide basis; and, if so, the frequency with which such information is updated. [23259/04]

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 367: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if information is available or being collected on numbers awaiting initial consultant appointments following general practitioner referral or on the length of such waiting times. [23260/04]

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 368: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if information on the numbers awaiting procedures, either treatments or investigations other than surgical procedures, is available or being collected by the national treatment purchase fund; if so, if such figures will be made available in order that a meaningful comparison can be made with figures published in May 2004 which referred to the December 2003 period. [23261/04]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 366 to 368, inclusive, together.

Responsibility for the collection and collation of data on waiting lists and waiting times now rests with the national treatment purchase fund, NTPF. The NTPF is working closely with health agencies and individual hospitals to obtain information on patients and the specific procedure required in each case. Currently, the information collected by the NTPF is collected by hospital and specialty rather than by individual consultant. As the NTPF develops into its new role of collecting and reporting data on waiting lists and waiting times I anticipate that it will examine and address the information requirements of general practitioners.

Responsibility for the management and monitoring of out-patient waiting lists rests with the individual hospitals and health boards concerned. It is a matter for each hospital to prioritise its services based on patient need and use its available resources to best effect to ensure that patient services are delivered efficiently and effectively.

Waiting list figures reported by health agencies to my Department for the period ended December 2003 included approximately 3,000 patients reported to be waiting for medical, as distinct from surgical, specialties. It was not clear what procedure or treatment these patients were awaiting for. The categorisation of these patients is currently under review.