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

I have already told the Deputy but will do so again. It is usually done towards the end of the year. I think it was used for endoscopy last year. A total of €50 million has been provided this year and certain amounts, although not as much, have been provided in previous years. That budget is controlled by the HSE and the hospital groups, so the €50 million provided this year, all of which has not been spent, is available to the hospitals and hospital groups to enable them to outsource their patients. Where they have patients who are waiting more than 15 months, they can now use that money to outsource outpatient appointments and procedures and they are doing that.

I will certainly check up on this matter. Anyone waiting more than 15 months should have been offered the opportunity to go private. I am told that anyone waiting more than 15 months for an ophthalmology surgical procedure has been written to and offered outsourcing to a private health care provider.

See this speech in context