I note the report this morning on cuts in funding for transition beds. This is to allow people who are in acute hospital settings avail of funding to get into step-down facilities, either nursing homes or community hospitals. Is it true that the funding for the transition beds has been stopped? This will cause further delays or further issues in relation to acute hospitals. Has the funding dried up? Is there an instruction from the HSE to stop any funding for transition beds?

On the same issue-----

Deputy Ó Caoláin is on my list.

-----Mr. Paul Reid, the newly appointed director general of the HSE, has just received a series of briefings from senior HSE managers, including the warning that there will be a deficit in relation to fair deal funding over the course of this year of up to €30 million. This will contribute to an ever-increasing backlog of elderly patients in hospital wards moving into long-term residential care. Would the Minister, Deputy Bruton, and his Cabinet colleagues not recognise that there is a crisis in terms of care of the elderly in the State and it needs to be addressed urgently, and with the prioritisation that it deserves? Will the Minister advise what steps will now be taken?

On the same issue, Deputy Michael Collins may ask a question. There will be no statements.

Following on from the restrictions to the home care service announced recently, another elderly care support will be restricted as the number of transitional care beds is to be capped. The restrictions to the transitional care beds together with the restrictions to the home help services are another attack on the elderly and will lead to delayed discharges and longer emergency department waiting times.

A question.

This is penny wise and pound foolish. With these types of decisions, it is little wonder the HSE is off budget. Will the Government reverse these restrictions immediately and treat older people with the respect that they are entitled to?

I call the Minister, if he is in a position to answer. If not, he might get his colleague to do so.

The position is that there have been no cuts in any of these areas; far from it. Increased provision has been made in the 2019 budget. Compared to previous years, this has been repeated and expanded so that there is more support for home care, transitional care and the fair deal scheme. Of course, the HSE, like any other body, has to live within a certain allocation. When pressures arise, it has to try to manage those pressures as best it can. The report was that Mr. Reid was gaining information about the various pressures within the service so that he could take decisions to manage those budgets as effectively as possible in the interests of patients with care needs. That was the origin of this. It is managing within increasing budgets but it is still a pressure to do it.

The solution is no more talk of tax cuts.

I call Deputy McConalogue.

Let us improve services provision.

Deputy McConalogue, a quick question.

These are improvements in service provision.

They are insufficient.

I call Deputy McConalogue.

There has been a 50% increase in home care, and 7% extra for the fair deal scheme.

The Minister will have to hold bilaterals outside. I call Deputy McConalogue.