The number of people waiting for treatment in Irish hospitals has hit a new record high.
Figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund show over seven hundred and eighteen thousand people were waiting to be seen or treated by a doctor at the end of August.
The figures include more than forty eight thousand children - one third of whom have been waiting for over a year.
It comes amid reports that a major overspend at the Department of Health has dashed plans for tax cuts or increased spending in next month's budget.
