Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As Deputy Martin is aware, these are important issues. The legislative programme has been published from here to the end of this session. It includes 41 Bills and many of these are in the health area. Beyond the legislation, action is required. As the Minister has outlined on a number of occasions, the situation that we find is not satisfactory.

Clearly, delayed discharges are having an impact on admissions to hospitals and therefore there are trolleys in corridors and so on. I have said before that an extra €25 million was allocated this year to deal with this as well as 300 extra approvals under the State nursing home support scheme. The waiting time for approved funding has dropped but it is still not satisfactory or where it should be. A further 50 beds have been secured from the private sector. Extra beds are to be brought in on a phased basis in Mount Carmel Hospital from the end of March. At the end of November last year there were 22,000 people in receipt of financial support from the State, 602 people had been allocated funding and 1,416 applications for the scheme were in progress. As of October a total of 8.5 million home help hours were issued to 46,600 people, but this is a growing cohort, as Deputy Martin is well aware.

Deputy Martin referred to the question of accelerating the legislation. The Minister has set out his priorities in terms of action and legislation and we try to follow that through as expeditiously as we can. I will advise Deputy Martin of the progress in respect of that legislation.

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