Because of the special allocation of £3 million for dental services which the Government made available in the 1991 budget, I was able to make an additional allocation for orthodontic treatments available to the Western Health Board which enabled the board, inter alia, to bring a further 115 secondary care orthodontic cases into treatment in the current year. The board have now a total of 317 cases undergoing treatment during 1991. This is a significant improvement on the position in previous years.
Despite the progress made, however, there are still 15 children in category A, which is the category of greatest severity, and a total of about 1,800 children in other categories on the waiting list and I have asked the board to draw up a programme to deal with these cases on a priority basis as a matter of urgency.
The average waiting period for cataract operations is two years and there are currently 560 patients awaiting cataract surgery.
The Deputy will appreciate that the admission of a patient to hospital for treatment is a matter for the hospital authority and the consultant in charge of the case. Waiting lists are kept under regular review and priority is given to urgent cases.