I raise the case of a constituent of the Tánaiste and of mine who is waiting on a relatively minor operation for a hernia on his leg. He has been waiting for six months and has been told that he has another six months to go. He has been out of work for six months and must continue to get sick pay for another six months until the operation is done. His savings have been depleted. He approached the community welfare officer, was refused and is desperately worried about how he is going to pay his bills. He was willing to take out a loan to get it done privately but obviously he cannot do so now because he is not at work and there is no indication as to when he is going to get back into work. Does the Tánaiste agree that this is a shocking situation for this person to find himself in? What can be done to help this man to get the operation he needs to get back to work?

It is very difficult to reply without knowing the details of the individual case. I had the opportunity to visit Connolly Hospital on Friday, one of the hospitals in the State where we are seeing waiting lists fall, which is really encouraging. This is down to the quality of the staff, the management there and the additional resources. The fact that this man has been waiting more than six months for the operation should mean that he will be eligible to have the operation done privately through the NTPF and paid for by the State. I know it is not an ideal solution but it might be the solution for him. If the Deputy wants to pass on details to my office or if he wants to contact us directly, we will be happy to follow up on that.