Mr. Damien McCallion:

To clarify, and to be sure because that is a fair point, what I meant is that for people waiting in hospital for discharge to get access to home care, I accept there are constraints as to how we are having to spread the home care capacity in all parts of the country, but there are additional hours there. I take the Deputy's point about the cases to which he referred. What I mean, though, is that the numbers of people directly delayed in hospital to get access are relatively small compared with those in other hospitals. There is a challenge, as the Deputy has set out, with long-term step-down care and rehabilitation beds. Those numbers are certainly higher in the Cork area.

The Deputy mentioned that additional capacity is coming on stream in Bantry, on Farranlea Road and in St. Mary's. Clearly, there will be some challenges until that comes on and those facilities are opened. I can come back to the Deputy directly, if it helps, on the dates around those openings, but that capacity will help. There is no question - I have been down there myself - but that there is a constraint in respect of step-down capacity in the Cork area, particularly around the city. That is a challenge, and those investments will help to start to address it.

Separately, other things going on in Cork are around, as the Deputy mentioned, older people but also trying to prevent some of those admissions in respect of the older persons' programme, Frailty at the Front Door. That tries to take referrals for people coming in to prevent them from going to hospital. It is hoped that it will help mitigate the risk that they will need long-term care and can try to keep them at home earlier than was previously the case.