Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister referred to a revised timeframe. A revised timeframe is fine and it gives time for the hospital to comply. The problem is the build-up of long-stay patients requiring public nursing home care. They require high-dependency nursing home care in the meantime but we do not have places for them.

The three nursing units in County Laois are operating at under-capacity. The issue is the standard of the buildings. At the same time we have an increase in demand due to demographics and the increasing population in the county. There is an onus on the Government. I have no wish for the Government to simply restart admissions to Mountmellick. I realise it did not happen under the term of the current Government but the wards closed in Mountmellick need to be reopened. There is a major shortage of capacity in the county.

I would like to see that plan being advanced and a timeframe announced.

With the Minister give a commitment today that Mountmellick, Abbeyleix and Shaen will be included in the new capital programme? This cannot be delayed any further. It has been delayed for years and changes have been made. The deadline to comply with HIQA standards was 1 July this year. As the Minister mentioned, that has now been extended and there are individual plans. While the plans are being drawn up, the patients who need accommodation are coming forward to Deputies like myself and my constituency colleagues. Families are telling us there are no nursing home beds for their relatives. I ask the Minister to give a commitment to include the areas to which I referred in the capital programme.

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