The Government has this evening released figures showing that the number of people on public hospital waiting lists fell by almost 9,000 in the full year.
Of this figure, there was a drop of 2,000 in the last quarter.
The Minister for Health and Children, Micheál Martin welcomed the reduction, saying that "This is more than a significant reduction.
"It’s a reduction that confirms a solidly established trend. I made it clear when I came into office that I was committed to shortening waiting lists, and I’ve put resources and commitment into making it happen," he said.
There are still 28,000 people on the waiting list.
The Labour party this evening said that waiting times for patients have worsened.
Mr Martin, however, said that the Government was making substantial progress in cutting down waiting times.
