James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

The Minister did not answer my previous question but, hopefully, she will answer this. The reason I have opposed many of her reforms is she tends to undertake them back to front, as is the case with this scheme. Having removed 500 beds from the system last year and with plans to remove 600 this year, the Minister is still talking about these much vaunted hospitals. She is not shy about opening facilities and turning sods. Has she received an invitation to turn the sod on any of these hospitals yet? When will the first bed be available for a patient? At the end of the day, this is about trust and credibility. The Minister will not deliver on her promises in this regard in the same way she did not deliver on cervical vaccination. When will the beds be available? When does she hope to turn the sod on one of these projects?

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