Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy makes a fair point. We have the makings of a solution in respect of the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital that is twofold in nature. The first part relates to providing additional capacity in the hospital, which we did. I was in there in July to open its new cataract theatre. That will result in 1,000 additional cataract procedures being carried out this year, meaning there will be no waiting list for such procedures at the hospital by the end of next year. That is not a target set by me, as Minister. Rather it is the target the hospital is publicly professing and confident of reaching. That will provide additional capacity for the people working in the hospital to address the outpatient list, which is to be welcomed.

Clinicians remind me that considerably more eye and ear work could be carried out in the community. A number of clinicians at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital were involved in the primary care eye review, which have rise to a number of proposals to move services out of acute hospitals and into primary care. I hope and expect it can act on that in 2018.

See this speech in context