Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To reiterate, there is a significant amount happening in this space within the Department. We have had the largest expansion of the workforce since the inception of the HSE, with more than 21,000 WTEs added since 2020, while 1,019 acute beds have been opened nationally since 2020 and a total target of 1,204 beds will be delivered by the end of the year. Delivery is an absolute priority for the Government and I know the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and his officials are exploring all available opportunities to improve the pace of delivery of capital health projects. In March this year, there were changes to the public spending code which will help the delivery of the national development plan that was introduced to streamline that process and make it more efficient. The Deputy can rest assured that work is also under way through the Estimates process in the upcoming budget. Many discussions are happening with me, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, in respect of securing the funding that will be necessary to meet the increased demand within the health service.

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