Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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62. To ask the Minister for Health if he will report on the reactivation of the National Treatment Purchase Fund to tackle excessive waiting lists; the amount of funding and resources that will be provided to this; the areas that will be prioritised; the impact in waiting times he expects for key operation waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11900/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In December 2016, I granted approval to the NTPF to dedicate €5m to a daycase waiting list initiative with the aim of ensuring that no patient will be waiting more than 18 months for a daycase procedure by 30 June 2017. In excess of 2,000 daycases will be managed through this process. The NTPF expects that patients will start to receive their appointments in March. The majority of daycase procedures delivered under this Initiative will be in the areas of ENT, Ophthalmology, General Surgery Dental, Urology and Vascular Surgery.

The HSE is currently developing a 2017 Waiting List Action Plan for inpatient/daycase procedures to ensure that no patient is waiting more than 15 months by the end of October. The Plan is being developed in conjunction with the NTPF's approach for utilisation of its remaining €10m funding for patient treatment in 2017. The Draft Plan is currently being reviewed by my Department and engagement is ongoing with the HSE and the NTPF towards its finalisation.

During 2017 the €15m of funding allocated to the NTPF for patient treatment will be dedicated to inpatient and daycase procedures.