Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

So the HSE is waiting.

The public in Limerick and the mid-west look at one key statistic, which we all do and that is the trolley count. The HSE may disagree with the INMO figures but that is what we follow. When I perused the INMO figures, I discovered that since 22 June the figures have improved although not initially. The figures were quite good up to the end of August but since then, UHL has consistently had the highest trolley count. There have been, on average, 64 beds and trolleys since 29 August. Of the 17 days on which there was a trolley count, UHL had the highest trolley count for 15 of those days and yesterday, 20 September, there were 62 patients on trolleys. I looked at the comparable figures for last year and discovered that the trolley counts were lower this time last year so I have a question for Dr. O'Connor, Professor Cowan and Professor Lenehan. How does the HSE propose to deal with the fact that the figures are higher now than at the same time last year as we go into the winter period?