Mr. Stephen Mulvany:

Some 121 short-stay beds have been permanently closed in the Cork and Kerry area and the number in respect of long-stay beds is similar. We are not saying that any area has enough but, after those permanent closures and recognising that there are always temporary closures, the Cork and Kerry area has bang-on the national average number of community beds per head of population. That is not to say they are all in the right place and that we do not need some more short-stay beds, for example, but the area is not disadvantaged compared to others, even though it had a larger number of permanent closures, partly because it started with a large number. That figure is adjusted for head of population. Again, I am not saying there is enough, I am simply saying that is the reality.