Last Saturday morning, I sent another bus of 24 people to the North for cataract removal as a direct result of the failure of the HSE to provide for same in the South on time and before those people went blind. Given what is happening with Brexit, what comfort can the Taoiseach provide to the many others who are waiting their turn to go to the North to have these operations in circumstances in which we are failing to carry them out on time here? The only hope to save the eyesight of these people is to travel to the North to have their cataracts removed. What comfort can the Taoiseach provide those people if the cross-border health directive fails due to Brexit?

Perhaps the best comfort I can provide is twofold. First, we will work with the European Union to ensure we are part of any agreement with the UK on ongoing co-operation on health. Second, and perhaps most important, I note that our investment in the National Treatment Purchase Fund and in reducing waiting times for operations and procedures is working. At the end of July 2017, 10,000 people were waiting for cataract operations and this figure had fallen by December 2017 to 8,000. By December 2018, it had fallen to 6,440. The numbers waiting three months are down by half and the number waiting more than nine months is down by 87%.

I took 24 off that last Saturday. I am doing more about it than the Taoiseach.

I do not think so.

I do.

The Deputy will be aware that the operations are being paid for by the Government, which is to say by the Irish taxpayer and not by Deputy Healy-Rae.