Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

In answer to the Deputy's last question the Health Service Executive and some statisticians are examining bed capacity for the country. I do not know the figure. We must wait for that. To date we have provided approximately 1,500 beds and there are approximately 1,000 in the co-location initiative, which invites private investment and is designed to free up 1,000 beds in public hospitals for public patients. I know the Deputy does not approve of that initiative but it will add to overall capacity. I have already given the figures for this year and next year. That is the status of the bed numbers.

I have not quoted the wrong figures. For the winter months so far the reduction in accident and emergency units, which were a significant problem needing to be tackled, was as follows — October, -34%, November, -32%, December,-53% and January, -57%. Those are the real figures. The hospitals have worked extremely hard with the Health Service Executive and the accident and emergency unit initiative to provide services more efficiently not just by moving patients around——

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