35 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for Health his response to a recent report by the Mid-Western Health Board on child care and family services which shows that the number of reported cases of child abuse in north Tipperary and east Limerick has increased more than tenfold over a period of four years; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I presume the Deputy is referring to the review of child care and family support services prepared by the Mid-Western Health Board under section 8 of the Child Care Act, 1991.

The report actually indicates that there was a ten-fold increase in the number of confirmed cases of child abuse in North Tipperary and East Limerick during the period in question, up from 14 in 1989 to 150 in 1992. There was a threefold increase in the number of reported cases during the same period, from 58 to 181.

36 Mr. Cox asked the Minister for Health if he will give details of the additional permanent and temporary consultant and junior medical staff taken on to provide services under the 1993 waiting list initiative; and the number of these temporary employees who have since been let go.

38 Mr. Cullen asked the Minister for Health if any funding allocated under the 1993 waiting list initiative was taken back from any hospital or health board for failing to meet its targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

46 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Health the agreed additional activity targets set for the North-Eastern Health Board in regard to extra operations on patients under his waiting list initiative; and the way in which he was able to set these additional activity targets in the absence of information on the average cost of operations in different hospitals.

55 Mr. Cox asked the Minister for Health where funding which was taken back from health agencies under the waiting list initiative was redirected.

83 Mr. M. McDowell asked the Minister for Health if any funding allocated to the Western Health Board for an additional 600 plastic surgery procedures under the 1993 waiting list initiative, was withdrawn or redirected, given that only 273 of the operations were carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

91 Mr. M. McDowell asked the Minister for Health the total waiting list for hospital admission at present.

96 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Health if he will give details of the hospitals and health boards, if any, which had funding allocated under the waiting list initiative, taken back for failing to meet their targets.

98 Mary Harney asked the Minister for Health the amount paid in overtime to medical personnel in each hospital and health board to carry out the 1993 waiting list initiative.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 36, 38, 46, 55, 83, 91, 96 and 98 together.

As set out in the Programme for a Partnership Government, the Waiting List Initiative, which I launched in May of last year, was targeted specifically at those areas of hospital treatment where long waiting times were causing the greatest hardships. These included:— Orthopaedics (hip replacement and other); Ophthalmology (cataracts and others); Ear, Nose and Throat; Cardiac Surgery (by-pass operation); Vascular Surgery (varicose veins) and Plastic Surgery.