The HSE acquired the old Blarney golf links hotel and has developed a 50-bed unit there. Some 30 beds are currently managed by Mercy University Hospital. People are discharged from hospital and follow-up rehabilitation care is provided there. The remaining 20 beds are idle because funding is not available to staff them. Those 20 beds are for neurorehabilitation. Will a commitment be given to provide the necessary funding in 2027 so that those 20 beds can become operational and we can move people out of Cork University Hospital? The beds being provided for neurorehabilitation are an extremely important development. The 20 beds are lying idle at present, and it is important that they are brought into use.

I thank the Deputy for the question. As he knows, the Mercy regional rehabilitation unit, MRRU, is under the governance of Mercy University Hospital and provides 30 level 2 older persons rehabilitation beds, of which 24 are operational. HSE South West can confirm that a regional strategic rehabilitation group is reviewing rehabilitation services across the region. The MRRU is part of that group, and a workstream has been established to increase neurorehabilitation services. It is co-chaired by the chief executive officers of Mercy University Hospital and Cork University Hospital. This group will review the various workstreams, including governance, workforce and operational guidelines. The aim is that, following the national service plan 2027, HSE South West will deliver 20 level 2 neurorehabilitation beds in 2027, subject to funding.