In the past 18 months, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae and I have consistently raised the issue of people on three and four year waiting lists for cataract procedures and teenagers waiting four or five years for orthodontic treatment. There are five Ministers with responsibility for health and any number of HSE managers who are being paid a fortune. It is difficult for people who are languishing for three, four and five years on waiting lists, to be saved from going blind or for orthodontic treatment, to understand why they must wait so long. Has the Taoiseach interacted with HSE South about the queries we have been consistently raising? What answers has he received? What satisfaction will these poor people get, or will they ever get treatment? We gave an extra €900 million to the HSE last year. Where is it being spent? I plead with the Taoiseach to do something about this. It is not fair to these people.

I acknowledge that far too many people are waiting far too long for treatment in Ireland. As I mentioned earlier, while there are hundreds of thousands of people on waiting lists, the majority, more than 50%, wait less than six months for treatment or an appointment and approximately one third are seen within three months. Although that is no good to people who are waiting for prolonged periods of time, it is important to acknowledge that the majority of people wait for less than six months. Due to the funding that has been provided to the National Treatment Purchase Fund and the additional funding provided to the HSE there was a decrease of 2,000 in the number of people waiting for procedures in August. I hope that will continue.