Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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122. To ask the Minister for Health the status of a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43046/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she should take the matter up with the consultant and the hospital involved.

Reducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. Consequently, Budget 2017 allocated €20 million to the NTPF, rising to €55 million in 2018. In order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, I asked the HSE, in conjunction with the NTPF, to develop Waiting List Action Plans for 2017 in the areas of Inpatient/Daycase and Outpatient Services. These plans have been published and their implementation is ongoing. The Inpatient/Daycase and Outpatient Plans focus on reducing the number of patients waiting 15 months or more for inpatient and daycase treatment or for an outpatient appointment by the end of October. These Plans are utilising both the capacity within the private hospital system through outsourcing, whilst maximising existing capacity in our public hospital system through insourcing within hospital groups.

In relation to the specific case raised, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.