Mr. Liam Woods:

First I will make a general comment on staff numbers now versus the start of 2020. There are 6,300 additional whole-time equivalents, WTE, which is slightly more in staff numbers, in the health system currently. Of those, some 3,900 are in the acute environment. We can provide data separately on the balance of 2,288 because I do not want to read out numbers for too long here. There has been a significant increase in staffing. Some of that is associated with the capacity already open and the Deputy is right in saying that the critical dependency for 2021 is our ability to recruit. The service plan and the Estimate budget for 2021 provides for very significant recruitment.

On the acute side I will ask Ms Fitzgerald to comment on the beds. We have already opened some of those beds and they are staffed. We have opened six beds in the high dependency unit in Limerick, the latest beds opened, which is also staffed.