Ms Susan Clyne:

We had better start now because we have been looking for this number for a long time. The population of Ireland is now at the level that was predicted for 2030. We have been talking about beds for far too long. Beds are being decommissioned by the system every year. Although some new beds are coming in, we are not matching the number being decommissioned. It took a pandemic for everyone to understand the bed issue. Everyone did understand it and promised it would be better but not enough has been done. It takes time and requires an enormous capital investment. We do not want the beds in corridors so we are going to have to build facilities. We need to start now. We should have an ambition to get those 5,000 beds into the system over the next three to five years.