Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have planned and we are planning accordingly. The number of ICU beds at the end of this year will be 301, give or take. Resources were provided for 321 beds.

There have been challenges as regards recruitment but about 11,000 people have been recruited in two years and the aim is to get to 340 beds, minimum, by the end of 2022. I would like to go further if we could and progress it and increase it even further after that. This Government has taken major decisions around ICUs. We have gone from 255 beds to 300 in a very short space of time. ICU beds are not simply beds. The Deputy knows that and I appreciate that.

On the PCR tests, we need to be fair and balanced and have a sense of perspective. Having a capacity of 207,000 is not scrambling around. The amount of private sector additionalities is low in comparison to the core capacity provided by the HSE. Credit where credit is due and it should be given to the HSE in respect of the capacity that it has built up for PCR testing. That is a good thing. It is looking at every possible way to increase it even further. We compare well with other countries as regards our capacity for PCR testing.

See this speech in context