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

I thank the Deputy and I believe I answered this question already in part to Deputy Cullinane earlier today. We are increasing our bed capacity so that with more beds there will be fewer people on trolleys. We have added more than 800 beds, which are the equivalent of two medium-sized hospitals, since the beginning of the pandemic. That is why we have seen a reduction of the number of people on trolleys relative to where we would have been two to three years ago but that is still far too many, as I acknowledge and as the Deputy has also said.

We are hiring more staff and between 7,000 and 8,000 more staff were hired this year. The HSE has authority to hire the same again. We are investing in home care in order that people can get out of hospital more quickly or can avoid having to go there in the first place. There is also increased investment in primary care, such as GP diagnostics, in order that people are treated in the community, do not deteriorate and do not end up in hospital as frequently as they used to.

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