FF accuses Taoiseach of 'spin and camouflage' on hospital waiting lists

The Taoiseach has today been accused of trying to camouflage hospital waiting list figures.

Fianna Fáil has described figures showing a 50% rise in children waiting for operations as "deeply shocking".

Party leader Micheál Martin says those waiting for nine months or longer have increased by 4,000% percent.

Enda Kenny said that the Fianna Fáil leader "ran away from it" when he was Health Minister.

Deputy Martin accused theTaoiseach of spinning.

"You undermined, repeatedly, the treatment purchase fund," he said.

"You took the funds from it, you put it into the SDU [Special Delivery Unit], and the result is far more people on the waiting lists.

"Taoiseach, these are the total volume of in-patient and day case people waiting for procedures in our hospitals.

"I didn't publish these figures, the National Treatment Fund published these figures. Don't try and undermine them by more spin and trying to camouflage the reality."