Seán Connick (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Question 205: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of items of correspondence from Members of the Oireachtas to her office that were received from 1 March 2007 to 1 October 2007; and the number of these that were referred to the chief executive of the Health Service Executive for response. [27506/07]

Seán Connick (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Question 206: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of items of correspondence from Members of the Oireachtas to her office, received from 1 March 2007 to 1 October 2007 and referred to the chief executive of the Health Service Executive for response that received responses from the Health Service Executive. [27507/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 205 and 206 together.

In the period between the 1st March, 2007 and 1st October, 2007 my office received approximately 6,500 items of correspondence. This figure covers all correspondence of various kinds received by my office. Each item of correspondence is tracked by surname and is not otherwise broken down by classification of the sender.

Approximately 1,300 of these items of correspondence related directly to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are statutorily a matter for the Health Service Executive and these letters were referred to the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Health Service Executive for a direct response. Accordingly, I have asked the Parliamentary Affairs Division to furnish the Deputy with information regarding the number of letters issued by the Executive in the period concerned, in reply to representations from Oireachtas members.