Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, hospitals are increasingly operating at or above capacity, with year-round demand pressures that are further challenged over the winter months. It is against this background that the Health Service Capacity Review 2018 recommended an increase in acute hospitals beds of over 2,600 by 2031 to support the projected increase in demand for services in the years ahead. 

Increasing capacity is therefore a priority for the Government.  Over the past 12 months, an additional 240 beds have been opened and a further 78 additional beds are planned for early 2019.

The Winter Plan 2018/19, which was published on 6 December, will also seek to increase capacity and my Department is currently in discussions with the HSE, in the context of the National Service Plan 2019, to identify the sites for investment and the associated number of beds, as part of an agreed capacity programme for 2019.  The question of increasing bed capacity in Letterkenny University Hospital will be considered as part of this process.