Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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207. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that 8% of all persons requiring an endoscopy here are on the waiting list at Naas General Hospital, County Kildare; his views on whether this exceptional waiting figure is due to the delay in providing the new endoscopy unit at the hospital; if he will address this waiting list by providing funding to transfer persons waiting for endoscopy to private hospitals to reduce waiting times; if he will ensure that the new endoscopy unit at Naas General Hospital is included in the revised capital plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15806/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Reducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. Consequently, Budget 2017 allocated €20 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, rising to €55 million in 2018.

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 2000 daycases will be managed through this process and outsourcing of treatment will commence shortly. The focus of this initiative will be those lists with large numbers of long waiting patients.

In addition to this Daycase Initiative, the NTPF has been working closely with my Department and the HSE to agree an approach to the remaining 2017 allocation. The HSE is currently developing a 2017 Waiting List Action Plans for Inpatient/Daycase procedures and Outpatient appointments to reduce the number of patients waiting more than 15 months by the end of October. The Inpatient/Day case Plan is being developed in conjunction with the NTPF's approach to the utilisation of its remaining €10m funding for patient treatment in 2017.

Future investment in hospitals must be considered within the overall acute hospital sector infrastructure programme, the prioritised needs of the hospital groups and within the overall capital envelope available to the health service. Nevertheless, the HSE will continue to apply the available funding for infrastructure development in the most effective way possible to meet current and future needs, having regard to the level of commitments and the costs to completion already in place.

The Department of Health is working with the HSE and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to conduct a mid-term review of the capital programme. While the review will consider capacity requirements over the next decade or so, it will also have a short-term focus and determine how capital investment over the coming years can be best targeted, given the current pressures being experienced within our hospital services. Funding for the Endoscopy development in Naas will be considered in this context.