Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I acknowledge, as the Tánaiste did last week, the number of people in accident and emergency departments. The Government has been endeavouring over the summer to make a number of alterations to improve the situation, as we have done in recent times, by increasing the number of consultants and facilities, trying to improve facilities in accident and emergency departments and dealing with the longer term problem, which has been ongoing in accident and emergency departments for years, that is, people on trolleys and temporary beds awaiting the discharge of other patients.

What we have been endeavouring to do, as Deputy Kenny knows, is to give additional resources to the health boards, not only to Dublin where the problem is most acute, to allow patients to move from beds to nursing homes, while providing for proper medical care and family arrangements. Over recent months we have escalated the process of trying to provide adequate arrangements and we will continue to do that.

Notwithstanding the fact that we have provided more than 900 beds, there still is a problem and we have to alleviate it by putting in the resources to provide additional nursing care facilities in private nursing homes, where there is spare capacity, and provide additional resources for accident and emergency departments. Approximately 78% of the people who attend accident and emergency departments do not require hospitalisation; about 22% do. It is through the efficient segregation and treatment of those patients and following the discharge policies in hospitals that we can try to obtain beds as quickly as possible. Of course, the inevitable reality is, and has been for many years, that there are people in hospitals who cannot be moved for one reason or another so it is up to the hospital authorities and we who fund them to try to provide the facilities and the beds. That is what we are endeavouring to do to an increasing extent. Deputy Kenny is aware of the numbers from replies the Tánaiste and I have given to the House. We will continue to try to provide the beds.

The vomiting flu is always a difficulty at this time of the year. A few years ago some of the major Dublin hospitals were closed to the public for almost the entire winter because of the vomiting bug or other ailments and diseases. There are now well tested policies within the hospitals to deal with these matters.

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