When the Taoiseach's predecessor and now Cabinet colleague announced a lockdown, we were all clear as to what was required of the public and the public did what was required of it. Hospital capacity was an issue across Europe, even in Germany and Italy which have much better healthcare systems than Ireland does in terms of preparedness. We were told that our capacity was particularly low and, as such, we had to be particularly careful. At the start of the year, this country's permanent adult critical care capacity was 255 beds. Funding was provided in March for an additional 40 adult beds and two paediatric beds. Have those beds and units now been built? Are they ready for this autumn as we face into winter?

As I reminded the previous Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, when he slipped out of the Chamber a few moments ago, in May he accepted that the overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick, UHL, was unacceptable and that, if not addressed, would be a disaster this winter. He accepted that additional procedures would be required to be carried out in the tier 2 hospitals that surround UHL, namely, Ennis Regional Hospital, Nenagh General Hospital and St. John's Hospital. I did not hear any more from the Minister, Deputy Harris, on the issue because he changed portfolios. The Special Committee on Covid-19 Response heard from Dr. Liam Woods, who confirmed that plans were under way to increase the number of procedures. However, instead of that happening, all surgeries were cancelled a couple of weeks ago at Ennis Regional Hospital. Thankfully, they have since been reinstated. In direct response to overcrowding in UHL, all elective procedures have been cancelled this week. That is putting further pressure on waiting lists and leading to deterioration of quality of life, as well as affecting life expectancy in many cases.

Swabbing and testing is essential, as the Taoiseach and Deputy McDonald have agreed. However, up to now, public health dentists, speech therapists and other trained professionals in our healthcare system have been diverted to testing. I am not saying testing is unimportant. On the contrary, it is extremely important. However, six months into this crisis, those workers need to go back to their normal jobs. It is inexcusable that people have not been trained and put in place to carry out testing such that dentists, speech therapists and so on are not being diverted to testing.

Six months on from the announcement of the lockdown, what is the current permanent adult critical care capacity? What is happening with regard to the UL hospitals group? What is happening with regard to those carrying out testing?

First, the current number of total adult critical care beds open and staffed is 278. There are 30 paediatric critical care beds open and staffed, 218 occupied adult critical care beds and 23 occupied paediatric critical care beds. There are 13 adult critical care beds reserved for patients and one paediatric critical care bed reserved for patients. The €600 million agreed by the Cabinet this week as part of the winter initiative is essentially a Covid winter initiative to take us through specifically the next six months. It is designed to allocate resources to reduce pressure on emergency departments and innovate around community respiratory clinics, for example, as a preventative mechanism to intervene in order that people do not end up in emergency departments as was the case in the past. It will create more bed capacity in acute facilities, but also in non-acute facilities which will facilitate people coming out of hospital in a timely manner once their treatment is completed. It makes provision in terms of community diagnostics and, where it is possible to continue with elective procedures separate from the trauma hospitals, for that to be done and accelerated. The HSE knows that any capacity it can deliver in the short term and medium term will be funded and resourced. It is probably the largest winter initiative for some time and it is necessarily so because we are anticipating significant challenges on that front.

I agree with the point made by the Deputy with regard to testing. I have been in office for 12 weeks. I believe a permanent workforce is required for testing and tracing and that is what is happening. That is what is detailed in the plan we published yesterday. It sets out that we will have a dedicated testing and tracing team that will work side by side with health service personnel. When the testing and tracing regime was originally established in response to the pandemic, people were drawn from various disciplines within the health service. There was a view that in the initial phase a clinical decision maker was required. There is no doubt that as we expand and ramp up testing and tracing even beyond its current level, a dedicated workforce will be required. A figure of 3,000 personnel to be employed in testing and tracing is identified in the plan. That is a significant number of people, but it is what is necessary.

There are, without question, significant pressures in University Hospital Limerick and the mid west. I have been in contact with the Department of Health, the Minister and the HSE with a view to implementing measures to alleviate the situation in the mid west.

I note what the Taoiseach plans to do over the next six months but my question was more about what was done over the past six months. The public is justifiably sceptical about Ministers with plans. We have been hearing about what is planned for the health service since the Taoiseach was Minister for Health and Children. It begs the question of how many health ministers it takes to change a health service. There are four current or former health ministers in the Cabinet.

The shortage of critical care beds was the most significant shortage that we had in this country relative to others. Of the 40 funded six months ago, if I understand the Taoiseach's figures correctly, only 23 have been provided - a little over half. It seems nothing concrete is planned for UHL other than aspirations. I appreciate that the Taoiseach is three months in office, but these were three months when we were looking down the barrel of the gun of a winter crisis which, hopefully, will not arise. If the medics and the predictions by NPHET are incorrect, it will not happen. If they are correct, then we are facing a calamity and we need to move. We do not need to hear much more about plans. We need delivery and the delivery over the past six months does not inspire confidence in what can be delivered over the next six.

In terms of testing and tracing, the recruitment campaigns are already under way. These are not just plans. This is happening and the staff are being recruited.

Those are the figures open and staffed now. They may not be exactly what is available. The Deputy will be aware that during the pandemic a significant number of acute care beds and critical care beds were made available.

There was surge capacity. I accept that.

A surge capacity was created and that applies here as well.

We do not know what that is.

I just wanted to give the Deputy the most up-to-date operational details as provided by the HSE for the number of critical beds available. There is ongoing work on procuring additional capacity on an initiative-by-initiative basis in terms of the private sector capacity to make sure we can get some elective procedures done and that elective procedures are not suspended as a result of overcrowding in the emergency departments and trauma departments.

I intend to engage with all concerned, in particular, in the mid-west. If one looks back over the past two years, there have been without question ongoing pressures on the mid-west, and particularly University Hospital Limerick.