Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 291: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the National Treatment Purchase Fund will give priority in budget 2006 to patients who were refused treatment in 2005; if the National Treatment Purchase Fund will recall its directive which requested acute hospitals not to refer patients to the fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35644/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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By the end of October 2005, more than 13,000 patients had treatment arranged for them by the National Treatment Purchase Fund. The fund has now treated more than 36,300 patients since it commenced in 2002. It is now the case that, in most instances, anyone waiting more than three months for an operation will be facilitated by the fund.

The health strategy envisaged that the NTPF might also make use of any capacity within public hospitals to arrange treatment for public patients. It was recognised that, during the start-up phase of the fund, the use of public capacity could account for 30% of total NTPF activity, provided that public core service planned activity was not compromised. The Department has recently advised the NTPF that use by the fund of public facilities should be limited to 10% of its total referrals for treatment.

The fund is continuing to work closely with hospitals to identify and locate the necessary capacity to have patients treated and to reach its target for 2005. My Department has been informed by the NTPF that patients have not been denied access to treatment. All surgery planned before the end of the year is set to proceed.

A new patient treatment register, PTR, has been developed by the NTPF. The PTR is a new national database of patients waiting for admission to hospital for treatment. The register will allow for more accurate identification of waiting lists and waiting times. The first phase of the register was implemented in September 2005. The PTR will also enable the NTPF to contact patients directly and offer them treatment.