Alan Shatter
Question:300 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the existing requests from each hospital seeking sanction for the appointment of additional consultants; the nature of the speciality concerned; the numbers of patients requiring consultants or surgery in respect of each speciality on the particular hospital waiting lists; the date of the requests made in each case for sanction for the appointment of an additional consultant; the extent to which each request has been processed to date; the nature of the discussions to date on each request with the hospital and the relevant health board; and the involvement to date of Comhairle na hOspidéal. [18587/98]