Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is important to understand the figures. The higher figure will always be high. It is anyone who is waiting for an outpatient appointment for any period. That includes people who are waiting two weeks or two days. As health services expand, more consultants are appointed and more clinics are established, that number will always be high. That is the way it works.

What we do need to address is people waiting too long. The figures the Deputy used are for people waiting for over a year which is a patient safety risk. Anyone who is currently waiting over a year will have their appointment by the end of the year. We will use whatever additional finance is necessary to do that. Unfortunately, in a number of subspecialties, the relevant specialists just do not exist. We will either have to offer people appointments abroad or, in some cases, may not be able to offer them an appointment as I would so wish. It will not be financial constraint, however, that prevents that from happening.

There is a bigger picture too. Waiting lists need to be better managed. Significant numbers of people do not turn up for the appointments for which they have been waiting ages. Significant numbers of people on waiting lists are not really on them at all as they already have been seen by a different consultant or may have subsequently gone private. We also have a problem with referral rates. The numbers referred is increasing more than it should be. Often people wait for a long time to see a consultant, only to be told that they did not need to see the consultant at all or need to see a different consultant. We need to improve the quality of referrals from general practice into secondary care. The e-referral programme is a big part of that.

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