Bernard Allen
Ceist:222 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps, if any, he has taken to involve consultants in planning and implementing budgets; the reforms, if any, he will introduce to eliminate situations where patients are admitted for non-emergency procedures at the end of a week when no diagnostic work is being carried out until the following week; and the steps, if any, he will take to have laboratories and X-ray departments organised on a 24 hour basis to introduce efficient discharge policies and eliminate situations where consultants often try to hold beds to secure an admission for a patient whom they believe should be in hospital. [4232/00]