Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 301: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the comparison and difference in cost values of the National Treatment Purchase Fund in relation to costs, time scale of hospital visits, waiting times for consultations, surgery and so on as compared to normal HSE procedures in relation to such costs, time scales and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34066/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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It is not possible to directly compare the cost of treatment arranged by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and the cost of similar procedures carried out in hospitals funded by Health Service Executive (HSE) because of differences in the determinants that go to make up costs in the two systems. For example, in public hospitals the cost of medical education is a major factor but this is not significant in private hospitals. In addition, the NTPF costs include pre and post-operative consultations whereas this is not so with the HSE costing system. The NTPF advises my Department that, in general, the time that its patients stay in hospital for surgery mirror those within the HSE for patients who require similar procedures