Ray Butler (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Several weeks ago, the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, opened a new 12-bed unit at St. Joseph's community nursing unit in Trim. We have a terrible shortage of respite care beds in Meath, with only 15 in the county which are scattered all over the place. Compared with Dublin, which has hundreds of respite care beds, Trim has a great opportunity with St. Joseph's community nursing unit because there is a greenfield site of a couple of acres available. There is no reason we cannot continue to build more respite care beds at the site. Will the Minister put money towards more respite care beds in the Meath area?

Do Members recall Tony O'Brien, the former HSE-----