Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Another issue is arising in hospitals. I refer to the fact there is now a 40% increase in staffing levels in hospitals. We heard from the Secretary General of the Department of Health recently that although there was, I think, a 36% increase in staff in hospitals, there is not an equivalent increase in patient numbers going through; it has only gone up by about between 10% to 20%, varying from hospital to hospital. Therefore, there is a need for infrastructure as well as employing people. What are the key areas where the infrastructure is not in place?