Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are far too many people waiting far too long for a procedure in Ireland. We all agree on that but what are we going to do about it? Just because Deputy O'Reilly keeps saying that I do not have a plan does not actually make it true. I have a plan. I have outlined that plan. It is funded to the tune of €20 million in 2017, with a further €50 million of funding for 2018. The Deputy might disagree with the plan or might not agree with the modality of it but I do have a plan. The Deputy can keep saying that I do not have a plan to reduce waiting list times. If she says it often enough it might even stick but it is not actually true. The plan is quite specific and it is going to reduce the length of time that people like the gentleman to whom Deputy O'Reilly referred are waiting in the Irish health service. Waiting times have become far too long in the health service. I concede that this is due to a lack of ring fenced, targeted investment in waiting list initiatives over a sustained period of time.

On the bed capacity review, the Deputy has not seen it because it is still underway. We will have a very clear ask, by the time of the mid-term capital review, in terms of how many additional beds we need in the health service. It is not as simple as-----

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