Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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234. To ask the Minister for Health if there will be an orthopaedic surgeon at Kerry General Hospital in July and August [22095/13]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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235. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons currently awaiting orthopaedic surgery at Kerry General Hospital [22096/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 234 and 235 together.

The Government has decided that the numbers employed across the public service must be reduced in order to meet its fiscal and budgetary targets. The Health Sector must make its contribution to that reduction. However, the HSE can make staff appointments once it remains within its overall employment ceiling and has the financial resources to do so.

The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2013, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has recently been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.

In relation to the particular queries raised by the Deputy, I have asked the Health Service Executive to investigate the situation and respond directly to the Deputy in this matter.