Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join you, a Chathaoirligh, in commending the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann who have served with the United Nations. I particularly salute the brave soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange a debate on the HSE's winter plan which was announced this week. There is an urgent need for a debate in the House on bed capacity, staffing and the availability of the flu vaccine and its accessibility. I welcome the €600 million allocated to the winter plan initiative. It will be a major challenge and is an operational task that must be successful. I hope the debate will focus on the entire plan, not just the hospital setting. It must be driven by the community, home supports and home care packages. This is not just about beds, as some have claimed and have grabbed headlines for doing so. It is about staffing and creating access pathways to funding. More importantly, it is about keeping people at home and being treated in the community. We all recognise that in the context of Covid-19 there must be a GP-led approach. Do we need to send older people into our hospitals and overcrowded emergency departments, particularly older members of the community who have respiratory ailments? I do not believe we need to send them to the hospitals, nor should we. That is why it is important to have a debate on the winter plan. It has to be successful.

Finally, I reiterate my urgent plea that the House debate the aviation sector. It is in a precarious position, but there appears to be a malaise in certain sections of the Government with regard to that sector. I ask the Deputy Leader to urgently invite the Minister or Ministers to the House for this debate.