Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. As she outlined, the fact is that there are only three specialist beds and they are in St. Vincent's Hospital. When the current Tánaiste was the Minister for Health, he promised to deliver 20 beds by 2023. He did not promise to deliver them for no good reason. It was understood at that time that there was an urgent need for additional capacity in the system. We must also be realistic here. There might not have been anybody waiting as of yesterday precisely because the HSE is spending €12.5 million annually to send people abroad for treatment. Something we have done far too often in this country is to send women and girls, in particular, abroad for treatment. The statistics bear this out and show it is predominantly an issue affecting women and girls. The question remains as to what the plan is to increase this capacity. While it is appropriate and positive that many people are treated in the community, this is not suitable for everybody. What is the plan to increase capacity?

See this speech in context