Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Issues, for whatever reason, emerged from the Cabinet, sometimes before they had even been dealt with by the Cabinet. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, who now approaches from on high, is entitled to comment on decisions that have been made by the Cabinet. Yesterday, I asked the Minister to brief the Cabinet members on the situation regarding Bus Éireann, given that I was aware that Bus Éireann was going before the Labour Court. The Minister gave a full and accurate account of the situation. He pointed out that a firm was examining the question of strategies for Bus Éireann and was going to report in January.

I can supply everybody with the numbers of committee meetings that have taken place. I think I have five or six of them next Monday, including the committee on health and the committee on justice, as far as I remember.

The situation in South Tipperary General Hospital is a source of concern. At 8 a.m. 30 people were on trolleys awaiting admission. The full escalation plan has been activated and the special delivery unit is liaising with the hospital. On 9 September, the HSE published the winter initiative plan for 2016 to 2017. It provided an extra €40 million for winter preparedness and to help alleviate the pressures in a number of our hospitals. As part of the initiative, the HSE has identified the emergency department as needing additional support, and the hospital and the special delivery unit have agreed a series of process improvements to be implemented over the coming weeks in order to streamline the admission of people and their movement through the hospital.

As part of the winter initiative, South Tipperary General Hospital will be able to avail of increased expansion of access to community intervention teams services and an additional three homecare packages per week will be provided in the south Tipperary area. A tender process to establish a national framework agreement for temporary accommodation is being evaluated and, based on the outcome of it, the HSE will consider options to help the situation at the hospital. The Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, and his Department are meeting with senior officials from the HSE on a weekly basis in order to monitor the emergency department performance and the winter initiative.

Yesterday, the Cabinet approved the schedule in respect of the judicial appointments commission. What is involved is a different way of nominating persons of capacity, experience and competence for appointment as members of the Judiciary. Currently, the system operates under the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan brought forward a Private Members' Bill which went to the committee without pre-legislative scrutiny. Both Bills will now go to the justice committee and can have pre-legislative scrutiny in parallel.

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