Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I respect and I am aware of that. However, that advice did not remain in place for the duration of this and it is not in place now. What preparatory work was done to ensure that the best use could be made of that capacity for which the taxpayer is paying very dearly? I will say again, and this is my opinion, that the plan was only to get the capacity but not to make the maximum use of it. I would have thought, given the fact there are hundreds of thousands of people on waiting lists, as I am sure Mr. Breslin, Mr. Woods and others are conscious, that some thought would have been given to a plan with dates, procedures, etc. It strikes me that was not done and we will exit this and enter into the post-Covid healthcare world in the same, if not a worse, situation in terms of our waiting lists and with the capacity constrained by virtue of the fact that physical distancing will apply. It is going to make it even less likely those procedures will be done, and those lists will be even longer. It does strike me a missed opportunity.