Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 91: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on the fact that the Irish Nurses Organisation figures for people on trolleys in accident and emergency units are correct; her plans to deal with the accident and emergency crisis in hospitals here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8607/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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My Department is in ongoing discussions with the Health Service Executive with regard to the need for improvement in the accident and emergency services, with a particular focus on reducing the numbers on trolleys and the waiting times for patients in individual hospitals. There is a need to build on the existing action plan for accident and emergency services and, in particular, to adopt a more focused approach that concentrates on individual hospital performance. Arising from the discussions with the HSE, a number of proposals have been agreed, including provision for specific performance improvement targets for individual hospitals.

I am also of the opinion that media debates about the differences in numbers between the trolley count taken by the HSE and that taken by the INO add no value. Accordingly, it has been agreed that the HSE trolley count will in future be undertaken at the same time as the INO count, that is, at 8 a.m., as well as at the normal time of 2 p.m.