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

I did not interrupt the Deputy and I would appreciate it if he would show me the same courtesy.

The bottom line is that money following the patient was implemented last year on a limited and phased basis in our orthopaedic system and it saved us €6 million. That money will be considerably improved on and enhanced as we spread that out across the system.

I am absolutely sure the money spent on consultancies is considerably less since I came into office than heretofore. Without being overly political, a previous Minister spent many millions of euro on consultancies and reports, many of which sat on a shelf thereafter. The reports I have commissioned are being put to good use and are being acted on. As I said earlier, we hope to produce some of them in the next couple of weeks and the Deputy will see the benefit and the actions they have led to.

It is not true that patients have to chase ever-reducing resources. We are improving efficiency in our health service and, as I said earlier, making sure we do not just focus on inputs all the time, which seems to be the Deputy's focus, but rather on outcomes for patients. The Deputy might not like to hear it, as he was the very man who shroud-waved to the best of his ability last January and February as we came to the retirement of 6,000 people from the service - not only did we maintain a safe service, but we improved it.

We have reduced the number of people who must wait a year or longer for an inpatient treatment by 85%, the number who must wait nine months or longer by 91% and the number who must wait three months or longer by 18%. The Deputy can shake his head all he likes but the reality-----

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