Written answers
Tuesday, 4 November 2025
Department of Health
Hospital Waiting Lists
Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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1652. To ask the Minister for Health the total number of people on ophthalmology waiting lists as of September 2025; and the number awaiting cataract surgery, by county. [57887/25]
Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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1653. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people on ophthalmology waiting lists as of September 2025 who are awaiting cataract surgery longer than 12 months, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57888/25]
Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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1827. To ask the Minister for Health the total number of people on ophthalmology waiting lists as of September 2025, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58746/25]
Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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1828. To ask the Minister for Health the total number of people on ophthalmology waiting lists as of September 2025; and the number awaiting appointments for medical retina, diabetic eye disease, cataracts, paediatric ophthalmology, glaucoma, cornea and refractive surgery, by county for each. [58747/25]
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1652, 1653, 1827 and 1828 together.
It is acknowledged that many patients are still waiting too long for hospital appointments and treatments. I am conscious of the burden that this places on patients and their families.
I published the Waiting List Action Plan (WLAP) for 2025 in February, representing this Government’s commitment to reducing waiting times for patients and improving access to hospital care.
In keeping with this commitment, significant funding of €420m was allocated to the Waiting List Action Plan for 2025, €190m for the HSE and €230m for the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).
With the 2025 plan, we are continuing to build upon the progress delivered to date under the multi annual action plan approach, progressing towards the ultimate vision of a public healthcare service in which everyone has timely access to high-quality scheduled care, where and when they need it.
Adult and child acute hospital waiting list information by hospital, specialty, and time band is published monthly by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) on its website: www.ntpf.ie/home/nwld.htm
The information is now being made available through an interactive visual tool which provides users with a much-improved way of accessing and analysing waiting list information.
In response to the specific queries from the Deputy, the NTPF has provided my Department with the following information in respect of acute hospital waiting lists which is set out in the following tables:
- Outpatient (OPD) Ophthalmology waiting list by Area of Residence (AOR) and by time-band
- Inpatient & Daycase (IPDC) Ophthalmology waiting list by AOR and by time-band
- Child OPD Ophthalmology waiting list by AOR and by time-band
- Child IPDC Ophthalmology waiting list by AOR and by time-band
- Cataracts waiting list by AOR and by time-band
| Waiting List by AOR (County) End Sep 2025 - Adults and Children | Total Outpatient | Total Inpatient and Day Case |
|---|---|---|
| Carlow | 560 | 173 |
| Cavan | 498 | 259 |
| Clare | 578 | 566 |
| Cork | 6,325 | 510 |
| Donegal | 319 | 403 |
| Dublin | 10,871 | 3,572 |
| Galway | 2,790 | 873 |
| Kerry | 1,059 | 138 |
| Kildare | 410 | 430 |
| Kilkenny | 812 | 241 |
| Laois | 469 | 182 |
| Leitrim | 148 | 85 |
| Limerick | 1,099 | 1,136 |
| Longford | 100 | 111 |
| Louth | 1,029 | 381 |
| Mayo | 537 | 444 |
| Meath | 1,629 | 588 |
| Monaghan | 433 | 203 |
| Offaly | 175 | 174 |
| Roscommon | 260 | 156 |
| Sligo | 356 | 206 |
| SmallVolAOR | 25 | 6 |
| Tipperary | 1,543 | 683 |
| Unknown/Outside Ireland | 5,487 | 56 |
| Waterford | 1,534 | 449 |
| Westmeath | 261 | 201 |
| Wexford | 1,388 | 466 |
| Wicklow | 276 | 289 |
| Total | 40,971 | 12,981 |
The NTPF have applied Statistical Disclosure Control (SDC) techniques to the data above to preserve confidentiality and mitigate against identification or self-identification of individuals, this includes aggregating numbers under ‘Small Volume’ headings as appropriate.
| Child Only Outpatient Ophthalmology Waiting List by AOR (County) End Sep 2025 | OPD |
|---|---|
| Carlow | 52 |
| Cavan | 18 |
| Clare | 70 |
| Cork | 614 |
| Donegal | 21 |
| Dublin | 706 |
| Galway | 242 |
| Kerry | 81 |
| Kildare | 94 |
| Kilkenny | 96 |
| Laois | 22 |
| Leitrim | 5 |
| Limerick | 174 |
| Longford | 13 |
| Louth | 41 |
| Mayo | 40 |
| Meath | 81 |
| Monaghan | 25 |
| Offaly | 28 |
| Roscommon | 22 |
| Sligo | 22 |
| SmallVolAOR | 21 |
| Tipperary | 205 |
| Unknown/Outside Ireland | 268 |
| Waterford | 194 |
| Westmeath | 49 |
| Wexford | 129 |
| Wicklow | 39 |
| Grand Total | 3,372 |
The NTPF have applied Statistical Disclosure Control (SDC) techniques to the data above to preserve confidentiality and mitigate against identification or self-identification of individuals, this includes aggregating numbers under ‘Small Volume’ headings as appropriate.
Cataracts IPDC Waiting List by AOR (County) and Time Bands - September 2025
| AOR (County) | 0-6 Months | 6-12 Months | 12-18 Months | 18+ Months | SmallVolTB | Grand Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlow | 57 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 103 |
| Cavan | 85 | 21 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 116 |
| Clare | 192 | 111 | 83 | 18 | 0 | 404 |
| Cork | 229 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 237 |
| Donegal | 222 | 52 | 16 | 18 | 0 | 308 |
| Dublin | 1,292 | 245 | 127 | 67 | 0 | 1,731 |
| Galway | 377 | 36 | 23 | 14 | 0 | 450 |
| Kerry | 74 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81 |
| Kildare | 172 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 177 |
| Kilkenny | 71 | 41 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 143 |
| Laois | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 |
| Leitrim | 44 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 68 |
| Limerick | 400 | 227 | 167 | 47 | 0 | 841 |
| Longford | 44 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 59 |
| Louth | 103 | 28 | 25 | 11 | 0 | 167 |
| Mayo | 209 | 43 | 16 | 14 | 0 | 282 |
| Meath | 172 | 50 | 35 | 14 | 0 | 271 |
| Monaghan | 61 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 92 |
| Offaly | 79 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 88 |
| Roscommon | 83 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 102 |
| Sligo | 105 | 32 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 150 |
| SmallVolAOR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 30 |
| Tipperary | 243 | 132 | 95 | 32 | 0 | 502 |
| Unknown/Outside Ireland | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 31 |
| Waterford | 124 | 52 | 24 | 37 | 0 | 237 |
| Westmeath | 80 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 89 |
| Wexford | 150 | 61 | 24 | 31 | 0 | 266 |
| Wicklow | 127 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 134 |
| Grand Total | 4,883 | 1,235 | 708 | 338 | 63 | 7,227 |
The NTPF have applied Statistical Disclosure Control (SDC) techniques to the data above to preserve confidentiality and mitigate against identification or self-identification of individuals, this includes aggregating numbers under ‘Small Volume’ headings as appropriate.
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