David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have three more questions. We will support the Supplementary Estimate because we have to, rather than because we want to. Page 11 of the Minister's briefing note makes reference to acute capacity beds and the number of beds that will be put in place this year. We had some discussion on this last week. In fact, a number of weeks ago when some of the Minister's colleagues from the Department and the HSE were in, we had a more in-depth discussion on it. We know that of the 1,200 beds that were funded as late as October 2020 for budget 2021, when approximately 70 additional beds came onstream as part of the service plan for 2021, approximately 170 will not be delivered until 2023. How does that square with what we saw in Drogheda this week, where multiple ambulances were parked up and could not leave because there were no beds for the patients? I also ask that question in the context of the plans in place to close the emergency department, as it is, in Navan Hospital. The Minister corrected a letter that was sent from hospital management to staff, which caused further consternation. What we saw in Drogheda, which was very graphic and quite disturbing, we have seen several times there, with ambulances parked up with patients in them who are not able to get a bed. How does that square with beds that were funded as early 2020 still not being delivered? Some of them will not be delivered until 2023.