There are 43,981 adults on outpatient waiting lists in the mid-west; 11,422 have been on the list for over 18 months. That is almost 26% of the overall figure of those on the list. As a former Minister for Health, I hope the Tánaiste will appreciate that these long delays for scheduled care directly relate to overcrowding in the one emergency department in the region which is consistently the most overcrowded emergency department in Ireland. We need Ennis upgraded to model 3 to take the pressure off. What is the Government doing to get the consultant contract over the line, shrink these abhorrent waiting lists and get more people seen every year?

The negotiations on the consultant contract are ongoing. They are at an advanced stage. Within the next couple of weeks we will know whether agreement is possible or not. They are being chaired independently and it would not be helpful for me to engage in running commentary on some of the outstanding issues. I think we are close to the point in the next couple of weeks as to whether we are able to say that we can come to an agreement or not.