Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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546. To ask the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will receive an appointment at the rheumatology clinic in Cork University Hospital; the average waiting time for patients in 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013 for this unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41993/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Improving access to outpatient services is a key priority for the Government. Collaborating with individual hospitals, the SDU, together with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and the HSE, has developed the outpatient waiting list minimum dataset. This allows data to be submitted to the NTPF from hospitals on a weekly basis and, for the first time, outpatient data is available on www.ntpf.ie. For 2013, a maximum waiting time target has been set of 12 months for a first time consultant-led outpatient appointment and this is reflected in the HSE service plan. The SDU and the NTPF will work closely with hospitals towards achievement of the maximum waiting time.

Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and hospital involved. In relation to the specific hospital appointment query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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547. To ask the Minister for Health if he will remove the cancellation-and-you-are-off-the-list-for-hospital-appointments Health Service Executive policy where it pertains to patients with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41996/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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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 been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists. In regard to the detail of the Deputy's query, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to him in the matter.