John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 162: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if a common waiting list was considered as part of the 2001 health strategy; the reason for its exclusion; her views on whether it would introduce greater equality into the system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35454/06]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 177: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her Department has carried out studies on the possible impact of a common waiting list; her views on whether this would introduce greater equality into the system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35455/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 162 and 177 together.

The reform of the acute hospital system, now well under way, was proposed in the Health Strategy published in 2001. The actions for change proposed for the development of the system were related to capacity, the mix between public and private patients and measures concerned with organisational and practical steps aimed at promoting equity, people-centredness, quality and accountability.

Together with other proposals designed to ensure that public patients obtain needed access to hospital treatment as quickly as possible, consideration was given to the establishment of a common waiting list during the deliberations stage. The common waiting list suggestion was not proceeded with, in the final analysis. Instead, a number of alternative proposals put forward in the Strategy were considered to be preferable as methods of obtaining the required result. They included the following innovative proposals which, I am glad to say, are now well in train:

the provision of up to 3,000 additional acute beds over ten years;

the establishment of a strategic partnership with private hospital providers,

the establishment of a National Hospitals Agency (now the National Hospitals Office under the HSE); and

the establishment of a Treatment Purchase Fund (now the statutory National Treatment Purchase Fund).

In relation to the initiatives to increase the number of public beds, the following developments indicate that the Government's commitment to increase total acute bed capacity is virtually complete:

In 2001, the average number of in-patient beds/day places available for public patients in acute hospitals was 12,145. By 2005, this number had risen to 13,255; an increase of 1,110.

A further 450 bed/day places are in various stages of planning and development under the Capital Investment Framework, 2005-2009.

In July 2005, I announced an initiative to have private hospitals built on the campuses of public hospitals. The aim of this initiative is to enable up to 1,000 beds in public hospitals, which are currently used by private patients, to be redesignated for use by public patients. The HSE is currently evaluating outline proposals from interested parties in the private sector to construct private hospitals on the sites of ten publicly funded hospitals.

The National Treatment Purchase Fund was set up to reduce the length of time public patients are on hospital waiting lists by offering them an opportunity to obtain access to high quality treatment, quickly, safely and in line with the Government's Health Strategy. I am very pleased at the success of the Fund to date. Since referring its first patient in the summer of 2002, the Fund has arranged treatment for over 48,000 public patients.

All of these initiatives demonstrate that the Government is meeting its commitment to improving public access to hospital care.