David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will ask a number of questions on capital funding and the delivery of capital projects at pace, which we do not seem to get right both in respect of housing and healthcare. On a more positive note, I commend Derek Tierney on his work in this area. He has brought a new sharpness to the area of capital funding and has ideas on how we can progress projects more quickly.

Speeding up the delivery of bed capacity has been spoken about. I will start with beds. I also wish to raise a number of other local capital projects in Waterford and get some information on them. In October 2020, as part of budget 2021, 1,146 acute inpatient beds were announced, with another 70 or more provided for in the service plan. We discussed this several times with the head of the HSE in recent weeks. It took a bit longer to deliver those beds than we had hoped. It was hoped they would all be delivered in 2021 but they may not all be delivered this year, so it certainly took an awful lot longer. We need to fast-track that process. There is absolutely no doubt about that.

That brings me to the recent announcement, which I welcome, of the delivery of 1,500 beds across a number of hospital sites. Will the Minister provide us with more information on the timeframe for that? When are we likely to see those beds delivered and operational? Second, will those beds be fast-tracked and delivered at pace and as quickly as possible? What is the anticipated capital cost for those beds? Will there be a current revenue stream for them? I imagine that if we are putting 1,500 more beds into the system, we will need more nurses, doctors and so on. I appreciate, as I am sure the Minister will, that this will be a challenge, given that we already have difficulty recruiting staff. Will staff come with those beds? When will we see the beds and will they be fast-tracked?

I will give a local example. I received an email yesterday from the manager of the hospital in Waterford on a project and I would like to know whether it will be one of the projects that will fall under the 1,500 beds. The hospital made a submission in April 2022 for 160 additional beds. A capital projects lead is in place and is progressing the business case. She stated the progression of capital projects is now a lengthy process that has several stages. There is no clarity on any timeframes of when they might be delivered. Will this project for a 160-bed unit in Waterford form part of those 1,500 beds the Minister said he wants to see delivered as quickly as possible? In addition, I ask about the timeframes and cost if the Minister has that information.