Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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176. To ask the Minister for Health if information regarding public hospital waiting lists for surgery (details supplied) will be provided. [49597/19]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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177. To ask the Minister for Health if information regarding public hospital waiting list (details supplied) will be provided. [49599/19]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 176 and 177 together.

Reducing waiting time for patients for hospital operations and procedures is a key priority for Government. In this regard, the Government is committed to improving waiting times for hospital appointments and procedures.

Budget 2020 announced that the Government has further increased investment in tackling waiting lists, with funding to the NTPF increasing from €75 million in 2019 to €100 million in 2020.

My Department is working with the HSE and National Treatment Purchase Fund to develop the Scheduled Care Access Plan 2020. The National Service Plan 2020 will set out HSE planned activity level for the year ahead, while the NTPF will work with the hospital system to provide additionality to improve access to inpatient/daycase treatment and with a particular focus on hospital outpatient services.

In this regard, I would encourage all hospital groups and individual hospitals to engage with the NTPF to identify waiting list proposals for the remainder of this year and for 2020.

The data requested by the deputy is outlined in the documents at the link and is also published on the NTPF website on a monthly basis.