Fianna Fáil backbencher calls on Harney to return

A prominent Fianna Fáil backbencher is today calling on the Health Minister to return to Ireland to address the Tallaght Hospital debacle.

Mary O'Rourke says Mary Harney should come home early from New Zealand - once she has attended St Patrick's Day festivities this weekend.

It comes as Tallaght Hospital rejects reports thousands of GP referral letters are lying unopened at the hospital - on the back of the X-ray crisis.

The fall out over the delay in reviewing tens of thousands of X-rays at Tallaght Hospital has been compounded by reports up to 30,000 GP referral letters were unopened at the hospital.

The claim has been refuted by Tallaght management. In a statement, the Health Minister says while unprocessed letters existed in the past - there are now no unopened letters.