GPs in Cork have raised a concern over the removal of some 13,000 people from the waiting list on foot of a National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, validation exercise. While I appreciate that checks of the waiting list have to be made and we all want to see the waiting list come down, we want to see it come down on the basis of people not needing treatment. It is our experience and the experience of GPs that many of these people still require treatment. Many of them have moved address, in particular younger people, and others may have literacy issues. I ask the Minister of State to raise with the Minister for Health the need to ensure that any validation exercises are robust and fair. In truth, phone calls could be a part of that. While I appreciate there is a scale to this, it can be very challenging. People have come to my constituency offices to explain that they have been removed from the list and, effectively, have to start again. It is not dissimilar to the situation with housing. This can be very challenging for people who have been waiting a long time for treatment.

For somebody who is on a long-term waiting list, waiting list validation is very important. We have cases where people are on three or four waiting lists and they may already have received the treatment. If the Deputy gives me specifics of the issue in the Cork area, I can have it raised with the office of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. I know waiting lists are falling. Validation helps in those cases because people sometimes decide to fund services themselves or do it through private health insurance. It is very important that the waiting lists are accurate.