James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

I will ask a question. I want to ask about this constituent, whose father is aged 85 and lay on a trolley from Sunday night until last night. He has now been moved to a bed but he is still in an annex to accident and emergency in Beaumont Hospital.

The recent contention of Professor Brendan Drumm that 30% of patients, because they are only in hospital for 48 hours, do not really need to be there is utter rubbish. I have spoken to my colleagues about this. There is not a single patient admitted into Beaumont, the Mater, the James Connolly or any of the other hospitals who does not need to be admitted.

Does the Minister accept she has failed to solve the accident and emergency crisis, that the plans she has put in place have been a dismal failure and that a new approach is required?

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