Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Of course, the Deputy ran a mile from it himself when he had responsibility for this area. At least the Minister, Deputy Reilly, has faced up to the challenge and is doing something about it. For 2013, as set out in the HSE service plan, the target maximum wait for inpatient and day case procedures is eight months for adults and 20 weeks for children.

The waiting time for a routine GI endoscopy procedure was 13 weeks at the end of September. The figures have now been published on the website. The total number of people waiting is 49,496. A total of 11,939 people or 24.1% are waiting over six months. Of those waiting over six months, 4,473 are waiting over nine months. Of those waiting over nine months, 934 are waiting over a period of 12 months. This is not satisfactory but it is an improvement on the situation that applied before.

In respect of emergency department trolley waiting times from 2011 to 2013, an analysis demonstrates there was a reduction in the number of patients waiting on trolleys for admissions. There was a 22% reduction between 2011 and 2012, a 12% reduction between 2012 and 2013 and a 32% reduction in the number of emergency department patients between 2011 and 2013. For the year 2012-13, the analysis demonstrates that for the week of 18 to 24 November this year, which was a reference week identified by the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on health, the reduction in the number of patients waiting on trolleys for admission for 2012 was 1,139. Between then and 2013, the figure was 950. The week of 18 to 24 November represented an overall reduction of 20%. These are things that obviously change depending on the nature of the health business. The national trolley count average value is based on the INMO trolley count undertaken five days a week with one measurement a day at 8 a.m. I have given Deputy Martin the inpatient and outpatient figures. We want to continue to improve them. As Deputy Martin well knows because he failed to do so, this is not something that will be sorted out overnight but I am glad to say that the people who work on the front line of these services do an extraordinary job and continue to do so. The Government will continue to work with the Minister for Health to see that these waiting lists are reduced. As I pointed out to Deputy Martin, they have started with those left lingering on waiting lists for three, five or seven years in some cases because the previous Government ran away from it and did not touch it.

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