Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I have said to colleagues, and as Mr. Reid has said today as well, a couple of these measures have already started. We have put €10 million into the system in trying to provide extra social care support. Limerick will clearly benefit from some of that. For example, we are seeing the number of delayed discharges finally beginning to fall after weeks of it rising. It is still very high but it is decreasing. We had another good engagement today, particularly with members from the mid-west and the Chairman, about doing something on diagnostics. We are taking that away and we have agreed that HSE representatives will meet members from the mid-west within a fortnight to see how to progress the issue. The core of the Deputy's question was what we can do now, as we are almost in winter, to improve flow, social care etc. I expect that on budget day next Tuesday, we will be in a position to announce funding for the winter, from which Limerick and other parts of the country will benefit. We will focus on the short-term measures of assistance.