James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It takes a while to perform miracles. The impossible takes a little longer. We are making progress. I regret that the Deputy's dad had to wait on a trolley for such a duration. Our aim is to have 100% of people treated, and either admitted or discharged, within nine hours. We are also seeking to have 95% of people treated within six hours. Those targets are proving to be a real challenge, given the circumstances we find ourselves in. Having been in practice four or five years ago, I know that it was not unusual, sadly, to have people lying on trolleys for two or three days. That was certainly the case in Dublin. I am glad to say that rarely happens now. That is only proper. We will keep striving to meet the six hour target in 95% of cases. We want to ensure everyone is admitted or discharged within nine hours.

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