Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We will move on to programme 3, services for older people, including long-term residential care. It has an allocation of €1.749 billion. It is broken down into two sections. Section A deals with long-term residential care, which has a vote of €940 million, and section B relates to services for older people, in respect of which there is an allocation of €810 million. Those sections are in the analysis document on pages 12, 13 and 14. While people are looking at that, I will ask the Minister a question. The number of funded beds in our public nursing homes is gradually declining. It has just fallen to approximately 5,000. Will the Minister comment on the fact that the HSE seems to be getting out of the business of looking after older people in its own nursing homes and that many of our elderly people are being directed towards private nursing home facilities?