I will accommodate the rest of the Members who are offering, but I want them to be brief and to the point. I call Deputy Thomas Byrne who I know will be brief and to the point.

On the programme for Government and the HSE’s current budget, is the Minister for Health aware that there are 3,529 individuals waiting for an orthopaedic appointment in Navan hospital? Is he aware that 1,277 of these individuals have been waiting for 12 months or more for an initial assessment? Is he aware that for routine, follow-up appointments, as consultants describe them, there is a 27-month wait and a 17-month wait for urgent orthopaedic appointments? Does he believe this is acceptable? Does he have proposals to change this to relieve the suffering of those waiting?

It is welcome that on a monthly basis the number of people waiting for hospital operations or procedures is falling consistently, thanks to the investment we are making. Regarding the situation at Navan hospital, I will ask the National Treatment Purchase Fund if more can be done to deal with the issues raised. I will revert to the Deputy directly.

The programme for Government contains a commitment to enter into a new contract with consultants, as well as a commitment to reduce waiting lists. Last week, in response to a question I put to the Taoiseach, he said there was a recruitment surge in the HSE. However, one in five consultant posts is vacant. The Taoiseach expressed his uncertainty about where the figures had come from. Many posts are filled by agency staff which costs a large amount of money or by people acting up who are not specialists. This is just filling a gap, rather than addressing the issue. If one does not recognise that there is a problem, one cannot fix it. Waiting lists are a function of the lack of consultants in the system. Will the Tánaiste or the Minister for Health identify where the recruitment surge is because none of the colleges can?

It is a statement of fact that there are 125 more consultants working in the health service today than there were 12 months ago and 500 more than five years ago. That is not to suggest there is no challenge in recruitment and retention, as the Tánaiste outlined. The Government has shown an ability to engage on a new nurses’ contract and a significant addition to the GP contract. We will find a way to engage in a process to explore the recruitment and retention issues with consultants. We will do so in the context of Sláintecare and the important work we will have to do under the de Buitléir report.