Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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Question 180: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of parliamentary questions referred to health boards or other agencies for direct answer to Deputies for each year from 2002 to date in 2006; the number answered directly by her Department each year since 2005; the number referred to the Health Service Executive for answer since its establishment. [27924/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Pursuant to the Health Act 2004, the functions of the Health Boards, Eastern Regional Health Authority, the Area Health Boards and a number of other statutory agencies were transferred to the HSE with effect from 1 January 2005. This fundamental reform in the structure of the country's health and personal social service system resulted in a body which has statutory responsibility for the management and delivery of services not only at the local and regional levels but also at national level. The information provided in the table below in respect of 2005 and 2006 reflects this fundamentally changed situation.

The information available in my Department in relation to the Deputy's question is contained in the following table:

This information was not routinely collected by my Department prior to the establishment of its Parliamentary Affairs Unit in 2005. The figures for 2003 and 2004 have since been retrospectively compiled and only identify questions referred to health boards for direct reply. Consequently, the figures in column (3) of the table for these two years include referrals to bodies other than health boards but do not provide a breakdown of same. Figures for 2002 are not readily available within my Department.