Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

The Minister referred to shifting the focus away from beds and for improvements to be transposed across the system. I wonder how that applies to him? As spokesperson for Fine Gael on health issues in recent years, the Minister, Deputy Reilly, correctly laid the emphasis on the importance of restoring bed numbers. His answer now suggests that he has taken a completely different position, one that echoes his predecessor. Let there be no mistake about it; this is a very important matter. I welcome the fact that the Minister now accepts the Trolley Watch figures of the INMO. I commend him for it. Does he accept therefore the figures it has presented on the inappropriate placement of people over the first quarter of 2011, some 25,000 patients, in trolleys and chairs over the first three months of this year - yet another sad record in comparison with the previous five years? Does he also accept that the INMO has indicated that some 1,600 acute public hospital beds have been taken out of the system in recent years? The situation with which we are currently contending is that 1,600 beds have been removed. I have to ask-----

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