Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 126: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the extent to which the waiting lists and waiting times recently published meet the targets set by her Department; and the hospitals and the specialties where the targets have not been achieved. [20267/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 128: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the reports she has achieved on the Government's target that all persons will be given an appointment for treatment within three months of referral; the average waiting time; and the proportion of appointments later than three months. [20269/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 126 and 128 together.

The Health Strategy set as a target that no public patient should wait longer than three months for in-patient treatment in hospital following referral from an out-patient department. Responsibility for the collection and reporting of data on waiting times now rests with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). It has developed the Patient Treatment Register (PTR), which provides, for the first time, verified information on actual patients on public in-patient and day-case waiting lists. The PTR allows the NTPF to contact patients waiting more than 3 months directly with an offer of treatment. Nineteen hospitals are currently included in the PTR. It is intended to complete the roll-out of the PTR to all acute hospitals by the end of this year.

The latest figures from the PTR show that for the 20 most common surgical procedures, 85% of patients are waiting less than 6 months for treatment. A copy of the Report on the Patient Treatment Register, April 2006, is being provided separately to the Deputy. This report sets out in detail the position regarding waiting times by the hospital, specialty and for the 20 most common surgical procedures for adults and for the 10 most common surgical procedures for children.

I am satisfied that the NTPF has made very significant progress in reducing waiting times for hospital treatment. The NTPF is advising anyone waiting for more than three months for an operation to contact it as, in most instances, treatment can be arranged for them.