Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has made a fair point in regard to the 15 month target. As I said earlier, some 94% of patients are being seen within that 15 month target and 60% of patients are being seen within the six month period. However, we must continue to try to do better.

What we see here is a direct result of a period of difficult economic decisions, through the time Fine Gael was in government and during the time Fianna Fáil was in government before that. We are now in a different place, where we can now begin to reinvest in the health service, increase health budgets and increase the resources being made available to tackle the issues outlined. I am not afraid to admit it if I hear a good idea from somewhere else and I accept the NTPF was a model championed by the Deputy's party. I believe it has a role to play here and that it needs to be reactivated. We should all strive for investment in the public health service, but there is also a role for the NTPF in the effort to reduce waiting lists. I want to start a programme for endoscopy with the NTPF this year, to put at least €15 million into the NTPF for 2017 and to have discussion in this House about how best to target that in terms of the most difficult and acute types of treatment needed.

In regard to the winter initiative, the Deputy is correct that we must be very careful that the consequence of preparing for the emergency department situation does not distract from the waiting list situation. The best way to ensure that is to increase resources for the health service and increase recruitment and retention of front line staff.

See this speech in context