Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am very sorry to hear about the experience of the patient in Kerry to whom the Deputies refer. Unfortunately, I do not know the details of the case. I do know that two thirds of people who attend hospital emergency departments are either in bed or discharged home within nine hours. For one third of patients, however, the experience can be very bad indeed. I will certainly raise the matter with the Minister for Health when I speak to him later.

On the second point raised by Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, 170 new extra beds have been open so far this winter and another 130 will be opened over the course of the year. As part of the capacity review and the ten-year capital plan, we want to open more capacity, with 2,500 additional beds over the next decade. We do not intend to do 250 a year for ten years. We want to front-load it. If there are detailed, costed proposals from hospitals, we want to see them and we will fund them if we can.

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