Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is exactly what we want to do. We want to move forward with this as quickly as possible. I am not familiar with the figure of 700 beds but I will check with the officials as regards the thinking behind it.

The Deputy and I are in agreement on the need for more beds. Many beds have been delivered but we want to deliver many more. If we get agreement on providing all 1,500 beds, on the basis that 147 will be provided this year and in excess of 300 more are in the pipeline, there will be close to 500 in the pipeline. This means we will have 1,126 beds, plus the figure of slightly less than 500 and the 1,500. That number of beds will go a very long way.

We also have to keep the focus on productivity. It is not enough to just add more and more beds. We need virtual wards and beds. Critically, we need to reduce the average length of stay, which will free up the existing beds we have for patients.

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