Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I refer to the letter from the HSE on the report of the number of wards taken up because there are no proper step-down facilities in place. Last September, there were 703 delayed discharges from hospitals. That is equivalent to 30 wards remaining unavailable to people who need those beds, many of which are acute beds. We have discussed this time and again over the past three and a half years. What surprised me this morning is that the Minister said there was nothing in the letter that was a surprise to him. He is the Minister for Health. What is he doing about it and what did his predecessor do about it? I know additional funds were given to the fair deal scheme this year but that is on the back of cuts last year and the previous year. We must also consider step-down facilities-----