Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 121: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on recent reports that more than 10,000 surgical operations were cancelled in the first half of 2005 due to a shortage of beds and staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35411/05]

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 162: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that more than 80 operations and other scheduled procedures are cancelled every day in hospitals around the country due to shortages of beds and staff; the measures she intends to take following the figures that reveal that 10,368 treatments have been postponed or cancelled in the period between January and June in 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35455/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 162 together.

It is regrettable that some patients have had their operations postponed as this can cause inconvenience and stress for some of those patients. Due to the nature of the demands on the acute hospital system, in some instances, it is necessary to reschedule planned treatment when priority has to be given to emergency cases or for a variety of other reasons such as infection control.

The figure of 10,368 postponed cases should also be considered in the context of overall acute hospital activity in the first six months of this year. The number of treatments postponed represents 2% of the total number of patients treated in acute hospitals in the first six months of this year — 527,000 provisional.