Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests. I get a little confused from time to time, as the Vice Chairman knows. What confuses me are the confused responses we receive to our questions. For instance, I have heard expert opinion to the effect that we have too many hospital beds. Needless to say, I did not agree with it at the time. On the other hand, it has been stated we have significantly undersupplied hospital registrars. I am agreeable enough with that opinion.

To what degree did the PA Consulting Group examine the issue of bed shortages? How intensive was the research? For instance, did the delegates find out why and for how long a patient was waiting for a bed, how many patients were waiting to get into hospital for appointments and how many children were waiting? It is disgraceful and ludicrous that we must time and again deal with the same issue and ask ourselves why it is happening. Why is it happening? Has the research the delegates have undertaken adequately addressed the underlying issues? Concern has been expressed previously about the ageing population. I have been guilty of doing this from time to time, but I will also point out that the young population is also increasing, much more so than in any other European country. That fact is pushed to one side and never forms part of our considerations when planning for the future.

Have the delegates taken into account that, if there are extra beds, there will also have to be extra nurses, which is what representatives of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, said when they appeared before us a number of weeks ago? Obviously, more doctors, consultants and so on are also needed. It is a large package and the Sláintecare report has dealt with it.

Have the delegates identified the problem insofar as bed requirements are concerned, knowing that we have a population that will continue to grow for some considerable time?