Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

First, from the very outset the priority of the Government has been to unblock access and to improve the flow of patients because patients are its number one priority. As set out in the programme for Government, the Minister for Health established a special delivery unit immediately on foot of the Government entering office. The aim of the special delivery unit is to unblock access to acute services by improving the flow of patients through the system. The Government's commitment to improving access is clear and part of it pertains to the reform of hospital services.

However, it is important to be clear about the facts in this regard. A figure of 13,435 adults waiting for planned procedures has been quoted in the media and Deputy Martin repeated it this morning. I am informed that this figure is incorrect. The actual figure I have to hand is 10,002 at the end of March and that has been published on the National Treatment Purchase Fund's website, www.ntpf.ie. This constitutes an increase of 4% from the figure of March 2011 and not 40% as the Deputy has alleged.

However, when considering these numbers, one must take into account both the numbers of people who are on the list and the period of time they have been waiting. In March 2013, the median waiting time was 2.4 months, which was a decrease from the equivalent figure of three months in March 2011. Moreover, when the special delivery unit was set up in July 2011, a total of 6,277 patients were waiting for more than nine months for inpatient or day case treatment, and this was a legacy left by Deputy Martin's Government. However, by December 2012, just 109 patients were waiting for longer than nine months, and this is an achievement that ought to be acknowledged.

However, the Government is not complacent. The progress does not mean the problem has been solved. The Deputy asked me whether the health service is under strain and the health service always is under strain. The Government is addressing that strain, reducing the length of time that people are waiting and dealing with the situation on the ground. There has been an increase in the number of people presenting at emergency departments over the past couple of months.

As Deputy Martin knows, that is a seasonal phenomenon. The Minister for Health and the HSE are working to bring the number down.

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