Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 148: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children when she will publish details of hospital waiting lists; the reason for the delay in publishing waiting lists; the baseline which the waiting list will work off; the exact data being collected; and if data on the number of patients waiting for a first meeting with a consultant are also being collected. [23411/05]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 149: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her estimate of waiting lists numbers for 2003 to date; and if she will provide the last published data on waiting lists. [23412/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Responsibility for the collection and reporting of waiting lists and waiting times now falls within the remit of the national treatment purchase fund, NTPF. Therefore, my Department has asked the chief executive of the fund to respond to the Deputy on the latest information available to the fund in respect of the number of patients waiting for treatment.

A new on-line national patient treatment register is being developed by the fund. The new patient treatment register will allow for more accurate identification of waiting lists and, more importantly, waiting times. It is intended that the register will be implemented on a phased basis during 2005.

Up to the end of May 2005, some 30,000 patients have had treatment arranged for them. It is now the case that, in most instances, anyone waiting more than three months will be facilitated by the fund.