Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte arís roimh an Aire. I have been hunting the Minister down, as it were, but unfortunately for a while now I have not been able to bring back the bacon, so to speak, on the questions and responses I try to elicit.

On the capital plan for the HSE, some UCD academics revealed just days ago the growing number of private hospital beds as public facilities dwindle. This shift to private healthcare delivery is concerning. Since 1980, the number of public beds has fallen from 7,000 to 6,000 and the number of public hospitals has dropped from 43 to 31.

We also need to discuss issues about St. Vincent's hospital. I am aware that many of the for-profit and not-for-profit facilities pride themselves on following the terms and conditions of the HSE, which is how they attract some of the staff. The sector can be described as a highly private sector because the private for-profit sector accounts for half of Ireland's bed stocks. The way in which we are going to provide this is concerning. It is against the Sláintecare cross-party document for the future of health that is based on need and not on ability to pay.

I commend the expansion and construction of the primary care centres in our communities that we hope will take some of the burden away from the nightmare that accident and emergency departments often are, but they are to be commended.

There will not be a lot more condemnation from me in the next bit of my speech but I am completely underwhelmed by the capital plan. Many of the projects have already been announced or are under way. Senators are only getting to speak on the plan ten months later. It is now ten months into the year, and this is within the context of the absolute chaos of the national children's hospital project. It is difficult. The national children's hospital is at the end of my road. I lie awake until after midnight and lie awake again at 5 a.m. with the whirring of the ten cranes on that site and the noise of the construction. It goes on over seven-----