It was announced this morning that there would be a new €20 million development in Cork which would provide 150 jobs and, when completed, accommodate 500 people. It is good news in terms of the number of new developments in the region. However, we need to set out a clear strategy nationally for development and areas we need to prioritise in the provision of services. I raised this issue yesterday in the context of the need for long-term planning in the health service. I know that there is an Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare from which Senators are excluded, but I have very strong views on forward planning. The Minister for Health was here yesterday. The last major public hospital was built in 1998. The population of the Cork region, about which I spoke yesterday, has increased from 410,000 to 542,000. No new hospital has been provided during that period of population increase and the population will continue to increase at a very fast rate in the new few years. In setting out the strategy for the development of the country in the next ten, 15 or 20 years we need to prioritise the provision of health care services. We have 2.8 beds per thousand. The figure in Germany is 8.3 beds per thousand, while in the OECD, it is 4.3 or 4.5 beds per thousand. Even if we were to get the figure up to three beds per thousand, we would have to create an extra 1,500 beds overnight. The issue needs to be given priority because it is something about which we can no longer avoid talking. We need to set out a clear plan and timescale for when it is to be implemented. This is a key strategy we need to develop, instead of putting it on the back burner, as was the case in the past 20 years.