Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I mean no disrespect to the Minister but that is not an answer. He obviously does not have a clue. He does not know the data. This plan has been there for a couple of weeks. It has not been launched, for whatever reason, but he obviously does not know the data. There are 830 new acute beds, 63 critical care beds and 484 new subacute beds. Of that 830, 409 are in place; of the 63, 45 are in place; and of the 484, 395 are in place. The real figures, therefore, are 421, 45 and 89. That is information for the Minister from me, which he should have. Why is the Government saying this volume of beds are in place or are coming, when this is the reality? These are the figures that were broken down at the Government's press conference announcing this this morning, but the Minister does not know them here in the Dáil. I ask him, although I know he is not the Minister for Health, where these beds are going.

The Minister for Health always talks about "the data". Can we get a breakdown of those who have been diagnosed with cancer, month by month, this year versus last year, so that we can see that we are dealing with the disease, which has impacted so much in our society, in the best way? The figures have not been published.

My questions relate to the data on cancer figures and, most important, what the figures for the beds are, why the Government is announcing 1,500 beds and where they are going.

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