Limerick East): The acute hospital service in Dublin has encountered problems in the provision of accident and emergency services, particularly over the winter period in the past number of years. The causes of the problems which arise have been well documented. Many elderly patients require acute hospital care initially but much of their recovery period could be spent in step-down sub-acute accommodation. For a number of years now there has been a shortage of sub-acute beds, particularly in Dublin. This has caused problems in that acute hospitals have not been able to discharge patients in sufficient numbers and quickly enough to cater for new patients seeking the services of the hospital.