Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The latest figures today from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation show there are 518 people waiting on trolleys in emergency departments throughout the country, with 54 people awaiting admission to University Hospital Limerick. Again, we are looking at a serious situation in our emergency departments. It is reaching critical levels and heading close to the record-breaking 601 figure of December.

The Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, predicted that the situation would worsen before it gets better. Given that the emergency department task force has only met three times will the Taoiseach indicate whether there is a need to accelerate the legislative proposals in the health arena, in particular the health information Bill and the health reform Bill? Will the Taoiseach outline what plans the Government has to accelerate legislation, particularly legislative interventions around the fair deal scheme that could create the environment to allow quicker discharge from hospitals, thereby freeing up capacity within the emergency departments? What are the Government's plans for the crisis?

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