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taxpayers' money to this effort. We must acknowledge the scale of this expenditure at a time when domestic pressures ranging from hospital waiting lists to rural infrastructure deficits remain acute. Irish families and businesses are entitled to expect that their elected representatives will balance international commitments with

There are nearly 1 million people on the hospital waiting lists

another issue here. The Government talks about people not being able to make hospital appointments. There are a million people on hospital waiting lists at the moment. There are a dozen children on scoliosis lists across the country at the moment who cannot get operations. Some of them

lists across our health service, particularly for those trying to access a GP in their local area. There are also extensive waiting lists within community hospitals and in larger hospitals in Cork, Dublin, Galway and elsewhere. I am particularly interested in dentistry courses because I have come across … available. Has the Minister been in communication with the Department of Health regarding the level of demand for these courses, given the waiting lists that we have in our health service

health service needs, from an acute hospital perspective, is delivering the elective hospitals. If you really want to deal with waiting lists, then build the four elective hospitals as quickly as possible. I guarantee that that will give us capacity to deal with lots of the planned procedures

afford their groceries or get an appointment with the doctor. They also tell me that they cannot get a hospital appointment or are left on a waiting list for a very long time. Children and young people with mental health difficulties cannot get an opportunity to meet staff … really at a loss as to why we do not use that wind power to power our schools, homes, businesses and hospitals. Every day, I am contacted by families worried about costs. As education spokesperson, I really do have to say that although we have primary and secondary

investment by the State over the last five years has continued to go into hospital care and acute care and not enough has gone into developing primary care. We have the longest waiting lists for speech therapy, psychology, community physiotherapy and speech and language therapy in the community

core community service simply has not existed for the past two years. More than 2,000 children are on the waiting list, 1,500 of whom are under the age of four. As we all know, vision development in early childhood is time-sensitive. Delays in assessment … clinic at University Hospital Waterford if concerns become urgent. Families who have engaged with me tell me that the reality is that, more often than not, the phone in Waterford is not being answered. Waterford is already under huge pressure with its own waiting list. What we really

multidisciplinary working group has been established involving consultants from University Hospital Waterford and the national clinical lead for ophthalmology. In addition, a targeted blitz clinic initiative is being processed to urgently address the significant waiting list backlog for patients in south Tipperary. I take on board every word

been in government all these years, I would be absolutely ashamed. No one takes responsibility. People have to wait and wait for repairs which never come. The list of LIS roads gets longer and longer. Where is the accountability and funding? We are not looking for highways, just … pier. That is critical infrastructure. If we take, for example, Mayo University Hospital and Belmullet hospital, every time there is an election there is announcement, and then another, while people wait for projects that are never delivered and are critical to communities. The Minister is familiar with

timely access to high-quality scheduled care where and when they need it. I refer to the waiting time action plan for 2026. This used to be the waiting list action plan, until we all realised together that the length of time spent waiting is more important than … planned care, including targeting increases in the proportion of patients waiting within Sláintecare maximum waiting times and outpatient and inpatient day-case waiting lists. Those targets represent steps towards our ultimate shared goal of all patients being seen or treated within the Sláintecare target times, namely, ten weeks

national clinical lead for ophthalmology is that piece of the jigsaw that the Deputy mentioned as regards the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital. That would be the person. Across all definitions in health, we have a national clinical lead. To have the national clinical lead involved … progressed. We do not have the details here, but I would expect that would include public and private to try to get the waiting lists down. That would be normal. I will look for more information in relation to the blitz clinic initiative because I am a very

Government is closing down ten beds at St. Vincent's Hospital, Fairview, for children in mental health crisis at a time when so many of our young people are crying out help and left in awful situations. We are talking about children in some cases with severe depression … their wits' end and sent from pillar to post desperately seeking services for their children and banging on doors of a broken system. Waiting lists continue to grow and grow. We only have 50 CAMHS beds right across the State. That is half of what is needed

latest population figure for the wider area covered is 690,000. It is covered by five treatment centres, which the Deputy has listed, two of which are only open overnight on weekdays, and those two are open 24 hours on weekends and public holidays. The geography is vast … surgical hubs. One is in my own constituency. Indeed, I was born in Mount Carmel hospital. It will implement the use of innovative patient pathways and have a real impact on reducing waiting times for patients. If waiting times for patients are reduced, it means they will have

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health for a detailed breakdown of the colonoscopy waiting lists in University Hospital Kerry; the number on the waiting list; the length of time they have been waiting; the number of new referrals; the actions being taken to address these waiting

South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital have exceeded 18 months for non urgent patients; the number of patients currently on the ENT waiting list at that hospital; the number that have been waiting longer than 12 and 18 months respectively; and the actions being taken to reduce these waiting

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to address the ENT waiting list in University Hospital Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25536/26

with an oncologist, to be requested from each statutory and voluntary public hospital as required, for existing patients currently on lists, by hospital; and the average waiting time and the longest waiting time for patients who received an appointment in each year 2022 to 2025, in tabular form

Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health the number of people on the waiting list for colonoscopies at Letterkenny University Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25504/26

Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health the number of people on the waiting list for colonoscopies at Sligo University Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25505/26

oncology service, to be requested from each statutory and voluntary public hospital as required, for existing patients currently on lists, by hospital and by cancer type; the average waiting time and the longest waiting time for patients who received an appointment in each year 2022 to 2025, inclusive

Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health the number of people on the waiting list for all CT scans at Letterkenny University Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25502/26

Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health the number of people on the waiting list for all CT scans at Sligo University Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25503/26

when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive a date for orthopaedic surgery at Sligo University Hospital; if they are on the routine or urgent waiting list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25004/26

Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the waiting times for pain treatment in Sligo Hospital for all lists, for the years 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27059/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on the waiting list to see a consultant oral and maxillo-facial surgeon at South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital. [25978/26