Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 238: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork has been told that they have to wait over two years for an out-patient appointment to see a consultant in relation to a knee problem. [8840/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The management of out-patient waiting lists is a matter for the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the individual hospitals concerned. However, in 2005, at my request, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) set up a number of out-patient pilot projects. These have been operating successfully in a number of hospitals around the country for various specialties.

Public hospitals are invited by the NTPF to participate in the out-patient pilot scheme to treat public patients who are waiting longest for first time appointments with a consultant. The NTPF is currently accepting and agreeing proposals from public hospitals for 2008. It is planned that up to 13,500 out-patient appointments will be offered this year under this scheme. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the HSE to arrange to have this case investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy