Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Billy Kelleher has a different set of figures for the State Claims Agency, as I note a significant decrease in the provision for 2015. It is a drop of more than 36%. Can the Minister explain? We can never properly predict the extent of claims arising from cases of negligence. This has been the focus of the committee in the recent past and was raised again earlier in terms of further redress. It is important. Perhaps the Minister can explain the considerable decrease in J5.

Deputy Billy Kelleher referred to subhead J4 and the mental health provision of €35 million. The €20 million allowed the previous year led to the under-provision of €15 million that the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health indicated she would seek, although it transpired that she did not. As the new Minister, does Deputy Varadkar appreciate that the under-provision last year has contributed to the delay in realising all the promise of the policy A Vision for Change? I do not believe the sum of €35 million will be adequate, given the under-provision in previous years and the underspends in previous years that were not always carried forward. In the first year, it was diverted in its entirety away from the intended spend. I would like to know if the Minister, in the absence of the additional €15 million and the €35 million in this current year, will look favourably at seeking additional funding in 2016.

With regard to delayed discharges, the Minister will recall the last time he appeared before the committee, in conjunction with the director general of the HSE, Mr. Tony O'Brien, and an exchange we had about my experience of long-term residential care provision in my county. There is a fine facility in one of our urban settings. I do not dispute the results of a HIQA report carried out there, as I want to see the highest standard of state-of-the-art provision in regard to the comfort and needs of people entering long-term residential care. As a consequence of the HIQA report, in terms of the development work undertaken, there was a reduction in the number of beds. This has been replicated in different facilities around the country, and it is contributing to the difficulties in regard to delayed discharge. Mr. O'Brien indicated that we cannot continue to do this and, at the same time, crib and cry that we are not meeting the needs of the 750 people in discharge units across our hospitals network. Has the Minister any plans for the development of long-term residential care for those who are no longer in a position to live at home independently or with home help or home care provision, aids and appliances, etc.? It is the elephant in the room. We do not have enough long-term residential care beds to meet the needs of our citizenry.

The continued reliance on private provision is not good enough. We must develop public care provision. Does the Minister have plans in that regard?