Is the Taoiseach aware that general practitioners in the Louth and Meath region are concerned today? This is in connection with the programme for Government commitment to an improved health service. GPs are concerned that blood tests for the region are being outsourced from the public sector to the private sector. They expect results to come back in a paper-based format. GPs are telling me today that blood tests from last week that should have been back by now are not yet returned to their practices. This has a major impact on patient safety. Is the Taoiseach aware of this? Is the Government aware of this? Will they get to the bottom of this and assure us that the delayed blood tests in Louth and Meath are not causing health difficulties to my constituents and to the wider population?

I am not aware of any specific issues relating to delayed tests in Louth or Meath. I will pass it on to the Minister for Health and ask him to provide Deputy Byrne with a detailed reply.

It certainly is no secret that blood tests, X-rays, operations and all sorts of investigations are outsourced to the private sector and private laboratories. That has been the case for a long time. Indeed, many Irish people spend a great deal of money to have tests done in private facilities, whether laboratories or radiology centres. I hope, notwithstanding recent events, that people do not make the assumption that Irish or public laboratories are necessarily better than private ones. Any of these laboratories are of course ISO-accredited.