Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The investment in health is now at unprecedented levels. It is encouraging that 22,000 operations are conducted each week in our hospitals. That is a very high number. Admittedly, there is a waiting list of 79,000. When we think of the 22,000 being treated every week, however, it shows significant progress is being made. The number of 22,000 per week has increased, and it has risen in each of the past five years. We are progressively making progress on tackling the waiting lists.

The outpatient waiting list is down. The number of patients waiting longer than nine months, which is the target for an inpatient or day-case procedure, is now down 5,800, so it is significantly down in comparison to the figures previously provided. We are making significant progress. The number of outpatients treated in our hospitals each week is 64,200. Again, this is a figure that is increasing all the time. There is a waiting list of more than 500,000 outpatients but the Minister is introducing a new outpatient action plan to address this.

The Deputy is aware the NTPF has been reinstated. It has already very successfully treated 7,500 people so far this year, taking them directly off waiting lists. The Minister will now address the outpatient waiting lists, which do present a challenge. It is well known that there is duplication on those lists. We need to properly verify the lists. A strategy is being put in place - it is close to being finalised by the Minister - to address the specific issue of outpatient waiting.

We have to bear in mind that this is also in the context of significant improvements being made in the broader health service. There is a strategy to increase investment in primary care centres and we see that throughout the country almost 100 additional primary care centres have been put in place. For the first time in 25 years we have new investment in hospital infrastructure. It is hard to believe no new hospital capacity was put in place in our health system for almost 25 years but, as the Deputy knows, the Minister is investing in a new children's hospital, a new maternity hospital and a new forensic hospital. He has indicated in his ten-year plan that significant investments are coming in order to address needs, with almost 3,000 additional beds - some of them exclusively in hospitals dealing solely with elective procedures - being provided. This will be a significant addition to the investment and the range of resources to address needs.

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