Vol. 474 No. 5
43 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Health the number of children on waiting lists in each of the hospitals in Dublin city; the reason for the lengthy waiting periods; and the steps, if any, he is taking to alleviate this problem. [3360/97]
Limerick East): The information on waiting lists requested by the Deputy, as at 31 December 1996, the latest date for which figures are available, is contained in the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 104 of Tuesday, 28 January 1997.
I am happy to assure the Deputy that special measures to reduce waiting lists will continue in 1997. The provision of special funding to reduce waiting times continues to be a priority for the Government and £4 million has been provided in the budget to continue progress in this area. This provision will bring to £8 million the total funding available in 1997 to address the problem of long waiting times for elective surgery. The funding provided in 1997 brings to £58 million the total resources committed to the reduction of hospital waiting lists since the current initiaitive commenced in 1993. My Department will be holding detailed discussions with health agencies in the coming weeks on the allocation of this funding.
