One per cent of the Irish population is now on a hospital waiting list, according to the Democratic Left health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus. There were people waiting so long for treatment that some would die for lack of it. Ms McManus said that 110 people waiting for heart bypass operations had already died. She called for immediate investment to deal with the "scandal".

Ms McManus, who raised the issue on the adjournment, criticised the Minister for not publishing the report on waiting lists.

However, the Minister of State for the Environment, Mr Bobby Molloy, who replied for Mr Cowen, said that hospital waiting lists were an international problem and not specifically Irish.

He said Mr Cowen was focusing his energies on the length of time patients waited, rather than concentrating solely on the absolute number of patients on the list.

He pointed out that the Minister allocated £12 million for waiting list work, some 50 per cent more than the previous government did in 1997.