Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Moving on to the issue of the change in demographics that will occur in the years to come, that shift will result in us having more people over the age of 50, just as we will also have more people over the age of 65. Therefore, we must start planning now for that increase in those age demographics and the resulting effects. What level of planning is now being undertaken by the existing services, the HSE and the Department of Health? I am talking about planning to increase the numbers of staff and to also ensure that we are continually updating equipment in the context of access to services. Where are we in that process?