Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

What I can give the Deputy is a commitment that we are planning for this. We have put money behind those plans. We will ensure that everything possible is done through better management, better policy and more funding to ensure the pressures that come through the winter on our healthcare system, in particular on our hospitals, are managed in the best way they can be.

The Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, has provided an extra €1.2 billion for healthcare next year. Much of that will go into our hospital system and driving down waiting times and waiting lists. An extra €25 million has been allocated for the National Treatment Purchase Fund. Next year we will spend €75 million on the NTPF because we know it works.

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