Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Cullinane for the question and his very appropriate ongoing agitation or advocacy for more beds. It is well established and, I think, agreed by all of us that there has been a significant deficit in the number of acute, high-dependency and critical care beds in the system. Since the start of 2020, as the Deputy will be aware, we have been in the process of adding a very significant number of beds. The latest numbers show that since the start of January, we have added 1,126 more hospital beds, a very significant increase. Without a doubt, it is one of the things that is helping to drive down waiting lists. We saw very encouraging results at the end of 2023. We are determined that this year will be the third year in a row in which the waiting lists fall.

Although a significant number of additional beds have been provided, we will all agree that more are required. This year, we have committed to opening an additional 147 beds around the country. In addition, a number of important projects are under way, with either the main buildings now under construction or the enabling works started. These include two 96-bed wards in University Hospital Limerick, UHL, which will provide 192 more beds in the hospital; 42 beds in Sligo where enabling works have been done and we are now looking to tender for the main works; and the net additional beds we will have in the national maternity hospital, where enabling works have commenced, and the national children's hospital, where construction will end later this year.

As I am out of time, I will address the 1,500 beds in my next response.

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