Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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329. To ask the Minister for Health if all resources allocated in 2016 to the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, to tackle waiting lists was spent; if resources for tackling endoscopy waiting lists was spent; if not, the reason therefor; the detail of such underspend; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30805/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) was established on a statutory basis in 2004 and previously arranged for the provision of hospital treatment to classes of persons determined by the Minister. This function was suspended after 2011.

From 2012, the NTPF's role has focussed on: the maintenance, audit and quality assurance of waiting lists; pricing under the Nursing Home Support Scheme; and supporting the HSE in the delivery of a number of waiting list initiatives.

In 2016 the only waiting list initiative delivered by the NTPF was the Endoscopy Initiative which was funded from the NTPF's full budget allocation of €5m for 2016. The purpose of this initiative was that no patient would be waiting more than 12 months for an endoscopy procedure by the end of December 2016. The NTPF has advised that approximately €1.7m was spent on procedures in 2016 and a further €185,852 in 2017 so far.

The NTPF Endoscopy Initiative for 2016 resulted in only 11 patients waiting for an endoscopy procedure for over 12 months at the end of the December, from 5,701 in June. This represents a 99.4% reduction in the number of patients waiting over 12 months for a routine endoscopy.