Mr. Damien McCallion:

As the Chairman says, 331 is the target for the end of this year, and in November we have 325. There are just six left to get over the line in December. The plan next year is another 20 to get to 351. Then there are 106 beds planned to go to 457 by 2025.

With regard to the long-term population planning, a process has been started with the Department which is looking at the overall bed need across each of the categories, be they community, acute inpatient, day case beds or critical care. One of the learnings from the pandemic is that we needed a plan urgently to concentrate the critical care beds in the hospitals of greatest need. That plan was set out and agreed and takes us to the 457.

On the Chairman's second question as to whether that is sufficient for the next five, ten,15 or 20 years, that is part of that update of what was called the capacity report in 2018, which PA Knowledge Limited undertook on behalf of the Department and ourselves. We have stood up a process now, working with the ESRI, to look at what that will look like with future population projections. As the Chairman will know, we have grown significantly, even in the past year, by 1%, by way of immigration and so on, with the needs there also. That long-term need would be there.

There is a commitment to beds in specific sites in order to reach that 457 figure. That was one of our greatest weaknesses pre-pandemic but thankfully, it did not get exposed. I would say that 457 is probably the minimum position we need to be in by 2025. What the future need will be is unclear but the other process will determine that, looking out over the next five to ten years.