Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I know Deputy Reilly is an expert on many subjects but I do not believe he is a health and safety expert. I know the expertise that was sought. I had a meeting with the HSE this very week on those matters. I have now signed into law standards of care for residential settings, which will be enforced from the summer of this year by HIQA and we must prepare for that environment. In the circumstances that exist in St. Patrick's in Waterford, it is not safe for patients to be on the first floor or for wards to have as many as 28 beds. There is no reduction in capacity in either of those facilities and alternative facilities are being provided. Patients in St. Patrick's will be moved downstairs as beds become available and families will be consulted. I accept there are issues relating to staff but I am concerned in this instance with patients.

Deputy Reilly's accident and emergency figures are wrong. The figures for accident and emergency services have continually improved in the past four years. Deputy Reilly can use averages at 8 a.m. before staff come in. He knows well the difference between the situation then and when the appropriate medical expertise is available. Deputy Reilly cannot have it every which way. We cannot have a situation where every piece of health reform introduced is opposed week in and week out. I refer to the cancer strategy and the reconfiguration of hospital services around patient safety. He cannot continue to do that.

The bed utilisation study will show that if bed utilisation was appropriate in terms of when people went home and who went into hospital in the first place many more bed days would be saved than the late discharges. I accept late discharges are an issue. I believe they are a particular issue as people wait in public hospitals for public beds and that is why the introduction of the fair deal legislation which passed Second Stage yesterday will make an enormous difference in providing affordable long-term care for older people and their families.

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