Thank you, Minister, for that answer. Phil Banfield from the British Medical Association recently said it's clear that the latest developments are getting worse, not better. He ended his comments by saying, unless the issue is taken seriously, there's a

'real chance of lives being needlessly lost.'

In between those two statements, he said what's important is that extra beds are put into hospitals, more staff are put on the front line in community settings to relieve the pressures, and additionally, out of the budget process, additional money made available to the health service.

Now, we know additional money has been made available to the health service through the budget process. What commitment can you give in light of these comments from the BMA about additional staff and, importantly, additional beds within our hospitals, so that lives are not 'needlessly lost', as he has said?