The Government has done a deal with HIQA to prevent a raft of public nursing homes from being closed.

The availability of nursing home accommodation has been brought to the fore because of the overcrowding crisis at hospital emergency departments.

However it emerged last week that 80 homes are facing closure if they're not brought up to HIQA standards this year.

Some of the issues which need to be addressed include the number of beds in each room.

However Junior Health Minister Kathleen Lynch says HIQA has now agreed to extend the deadline for closure provided there's a commitment to a timeframe for the works.

She wouldn't confirm the exact amount on how much would be spent on the works but if the work was to be carried out, it would result in a spend of around €300 million.

Minister Lynch also spoke at length about the number of people on trolleys and how the figure is currently unacceptable. Today, it stands at 433.

"One person waiting unduly on a trolley is not a good situation to be in."

She also stated that she didn't speak to Leo Varadkar for the short time that he was away when overcrowding reached a new high of 601: "I wasn't talking to him in the short period he was away which was for three or four days and I don't think any of us would begrudge that."

"We do have regular contact."

Here is the interview in full: