Following a comprehensive review of acute hospital bed capacity needs, the Government decided in the context of the health strategy to provide an additional 3,000 public beds in acute hospitals over the next ten years. My Department provided funding for the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, and the health boards for the commissioning of 520 of these additional beds in 2002. A further 189 beds will be commissioned this year to bring the total number of new beds commissioned to 709, which exceeds the health strategy's commitment. These additional beds should take some pressure off of accident and emergency departments in that there will be extra capacity to admit patients.