Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has said "it only stands to reason that lives could be lost" as a result of delays in receiving hospital treatment.
Mr Vardakar said the issue of delayed discharges of patients from hospitals is a serious safety issue, adding it is a long-standing feature of Ireland's dysfunctional health service and continues to be a big problem.
Details released to RTÉ's Prime Time under the Freedom of Information Act showed that the HSE's former National Director for Acute Hospitals Dr Tony O'Connell warned last September that delayed discharges were putting lives at risk.
Mr Varadkar said the issue was not new and had been well known and well documented, and had been spoken about many times by both himself and Minister of State Kathleen Lynch.
He said it was something the Government had tried to address in part with a €25 million package of additional nursing home places and home care packages but said what has been done to date hasn't been enough.
Mr Varadkar said there was research from other countries which clearly demonstrates that long trolley waits and delayed discharges result in increased mortality.
The Minister said he was sorry to see Dr O'Connell depart, but that the issue of delayed discharges was not the reason for his resignation.
Government to draft new surrogacy legislation
Figures today show that there are 479 patients on trolleys in Emergency Departments or wards, waiting for admission to a bed.
The worst affected hospital is Beaumont in Dublin with 52 patients waiting.
Other hospitals badly affected are: Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda and University Hospital Galway, each with 40 patients waiting.
Letterkenny General has 38 patients waiting.
Today's figures represents a reduction on yesterday's overcrowding figure of 514.
Govt to prepare laws over surrogacy
Separately, the Government has agreed to prepare new laws to regulate surrogacy and the broader area of assisted human reproduction and associated research.
The aim of the proposed legislation is to bring to an end the legal uncertainty in which these services currently operate.
Cabinet authorised the Department of Health to prepare legislation targeting a range of practices including surrogacy, embryo donation, embryo screening and stem cell research.
Mr Varadkar said: "The priority throughout will be to safeguard the welfare, safety and best interests of children and to uphold the principles of consent and equality."
Submissions from interested parties are to be invited as part of a public consultation process.
The Joint Committee on Health and Children will also be invited to hold public hearings on the matter and subject the draft legislation to scrutiny.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Varadkar said it will be difficult to put the legislation through before next year's election.
Mr Varadkar also said he envisaged that under the legislation parentage could be transferred to the genetic parents without the need to go through the adoption process, once there is agreement with the surrogate.
The minister added that commercial surrogacy would be banned under the legislation, although reimbursement of expenses will be permitted.
Anyone that wishes to become a surrogate will be required to go for counselling beforehand, and there will be age limits.
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