According to the latest figures from the Health Service Executive, more than 5,600 patients in Limerick have been waiting for four years or more for an outpatient appointment. Of those, more than 4,000 have been waiting four years or more for appointments at the orthopaedic hospital in Croom, while 1,400 have been waiting for appointments at the nearby Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle. Nationally, more than 105,000 patients have been waiting for more than a year for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant. There appear to be a lot of issues with information systems on the waiting times for elective and outpatient appointments. Can the Taoiseach confirm when the health information Bill will be brought before the House?

Deputy Martin has raised an important point, the details of which I will not go into. In October last year, the orthopaedic outpatient service in Limerick had a waiting list of 10,900 people. In the six months since then, the evolution of the National Treatment Purchase Fund into the special delivery unit has reduced the waiting list by almost 33%, and it now stands at 7,477. To be fair, Deputy Martin should note that we must validate the figures. Some of these people have been waiting for a very long time and some may well have had treatment elsewhere. I expect the validated figures to be available for everybody towards the end of the month.

The health information Bill is not due until early next year.