Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 364: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will investigate a situation whereby patients dealing with the National Treatment Purchase Fund are receiving treatment paid for by the fund at the same hospital from which their names had been taken from waiting lists; and her views on whether this practice is disrupting the core activities of such hospitals. [11827/08]

Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 365: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will investigate a situation where the National Treatment Purchase Fund is in the process of engaging a public relations firm to improve its image; and her views on whether this is an acceptable way of spending taxpayers' money. [11828/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 364 and 365 together.

The role of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) is to purchase treatment, primarily from private hospitals in Ireland, with the aim of reducing the length of time that public patients have to wait for surgery. Taking both in-patient and out-patient activity, I am pleased to say that, to date, over 100,000 people have benefited from treatment under the Fund.

On my instruction, the level of NTPF referrals to public hospitals has been capped since 2005 at no more than 10% of total referrals on the basis of inadequate capacity in private hospitals. While, in many instances, a person will be referred by the NTPF for treatment to a hospital separate to the one on whose waiting list he or she is, it will sometimes happen that the required treatment will be sourced in the private system within that public hospital.

Work necessarily undertaken under the NTPF initiative in public hospitals is on the understanding that it does not interfere with core funded activity and I am not aware that it is being disrupted in any hospital.

With regard to the engagement of a public relations firm, the NTPF as a publicly funded body, is obliged to engage in public procurement. I understand that its current communications contract is due to expire shortly and, in line with public procurement practice, it has initiated a public tender process to engage a suitable firm.