Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 610: To ask the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to address the issue regarding 5,000 persons who have been on hospital waiting lists for more than three to four years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29245/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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In relation to the Deputy's question on waiting times the Government fully accepts that waiting times for patients awaiting an elective surgical procedure are too long. One of my first priorities as Minister for Health was to set a maximum waiting time target of 12 months to be achieved by all hospitals by the end of 2011. I can confirm that 95% of hospitals achieved this target.

The immediate challenge for 2012 was to maintain the 12 month maximum waiting time target for in patient and day case procedures and then to continually improve and move to a 9 month maximum waiting time target by the end of 2012. The latest available figures from the end of April 2012 show that 99% of patients were given a scheduled treatment date within 12 months; 94% of patients were given a scheduled treatment date within 9 months; 78% of patients were given a scheduled treatment date within 6 months.

These figures demonstrate that progress is being made in relation to reducing the maximum waiting times for patients awaiting an inpatient or daycase procedure and our health service is on target to ensure that no patient has to wait more than 9 months for surgery. I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to focus on waiting lists and that when the 9 month target has been achieved later in 2012, the SDU will focus on reducing that target even further.