Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have asked Tony Canavan to provide me with an accurate list of bed occupancy for the two facilities, Áras Deirbhle and Belmullet Community Hospital, in the past 12 months and I expect to have that shortly. I will be happy to discuss the reply with Members to get to the bottom of it. There are two sides to this story and I do not want to play judge and jury but I want to have all the facts in my possession.

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Ring, has invited me to go to the hospital and I am happy to do that. My ambition is to get up there before the end of the month, or on 1 July or 2 July at the latest. I will meet patients and their families, who are the most important people there. I will meet public representatives and will hear the views of staff. I assure the Deputy that there is no question of downgrading services and no question about the future of this facility, which is playing a vital role in the provision of services for the elderly. It is in a very remote rural area and I am very familiar with such areas. There is a need for facilities to stand alone and I guarantee that, as long as I am Minister of State, I will not oversee the downgrading of any facility for older people, and that includes Belmullet. However, I also have to support the HSE in any measures it takes to bring about efficiencies and ensure there is no waste. If the HSE tells me that beds that are staffed are lying idle, I would not support that either. I will not put the needs of staff above that by supporting empty beds with staff alongside them. I am told that is the situation but I want to see it for myself.

I accept that we need to upgrade the use of the facility so that it can take pressure off the acute facilities, and if we have to put more people in there, I will work with the Deputy to achieve that. However, I will not stand over empty beds, as it were. I have given my colleague, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Ring, a cast-iron assurance that there will be no downgrading of services and I give a similar assurance to Deputy Calleary. I will work with the Deputy to utilise this wonderful facility to its maximum in the future.

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