asked the Minister for Health the number of people currently on the waiting list for orthopaedic treatment in the Western Health Board region; if he will give a breakdown for Counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon; and the average waiting time for treatment for those on these lists.

The total number of patients currently on the waiting list for orthopaedic in-patient treatment in the Western Health Board region is 121. The information relating to the numbers awaiting treatment by county and the average waiting time for each county is contained in a tabular statement which I propose to have circulated with the Official Report.

Would the Minister of State agree that most of the people on the waiting list are older people awaiting hip replacement operations? As there is considerable delay and discomfort involved would the Minister, on a once-off basis, be prepared to make special funds available so that these old people can take advantage of vacant beds in other institutions and have their operations at an early date?

I accept what the Deputy is saying, that it is a problem in all the areas but there are priorities and there are demands in the various areas, particularly demands on theatre time. One has to make balanced judgments on it and the health boards make decisions that they believe to be in the best interests of the overall medical situation. It is not a question of beds, it is a question of theatre time.

The balanced judgment that I want the Minister to make is to allow some extra money to be made available to the health boards so that the waiting time for these old people, who are in considerable discomfort, can be shortened and they can take up the beds that are free in other orthopaedic institutions. If one goes privately one can have a hip replacement operation done almost immediately but if one is on a waiting list with the health board it can take some years. Will the Minister consider making special funds available to remove the waiting list?

I accept that there is discomfort. These are not necessarily all old people. There are various age groups. We have this problem in all the health board areas and we have to balance the resources and the overall need and the health boards themselves make decisions in this area. At this stage I cannot give any commitment to make any additional funds available.

I did not hear the part of the Minister's reply where he gave the waiting period. Perhaps he could repeat that and also state how this compares with the waiting time in other parts of the country, for instance in Dublin?

I am sorry, I did not give the actual waiting time in my reply. I have not got that information but I can make it available to the Deputy.