Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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I have a question on capital expenditure. When I was in St. Stephen's Hospital in Sarsfield Court on Monday, it was outlined to me that there is now only one mental healthcare facility that is really up in standard in the Cork region, which is the one attached to Cork University Hospital, CUH. If we take Portlaoise hospital, for example, when Covid broke out, there were 26 patients in a particular facility. I know of one staff member there who was out for two weeks as a result of getting Covid in the hospital, during which 11 people died because there were six patients per ward. In fairness to the staff, they did everything they could. There are inadequate facilities for mental healthcare. The Cork region has only one that is up to standard. What is being done in terms of prioritising facilities like that to ensure they are all meeting the required standard?