Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We want the emergency department in University Hospital Limerick to open in May. That is critical. I have corresponded with the Minister, Deputy Simon Harris, and spoken to the CEO of the HSE, Mr. Tony O’Brien. I have also spoken at length to Mr. Woods about the 96 bed acute unit, which is also critical. It is good news that the design phase is under way and that we have lost no more time. Mr. Woods expects the mid-term national capital plan review to take place in the next couple of months. The health section of the capital plan is extremely important. For example, in the education sector, if no new schools were built in recent years, there will be a problem due to the increase in the size of the population. There are few, if any, new emergency departments, while there has been no increased bed capacity in acute services. I, therefore, call on the Government to ensure the project will go ahead. I also urge the HSE to ensure it is part of its priorities. Will Mr. Woods comment briefly on the matter? The Minister has given a commitment that if the emergency department in University Hospital Limerick is ready, it will be opened in May. I have spoken to the CEO of the hospital and been told that staff are being recruited.

The HSE must prioritise the 96 bed acute unit in order that when the mid-term national capital plan review takes place, the project will go ahead. I am concerned that the headline projects in Dublin such as the national children's hospital and the national maternity hospital, both of which are very welcome, will take priority. It is extremely important that major projects outside Dublin go ahead. I refer to hospitals in which there is a lack of capacity, including University Hospital Limerick. It is vital that the 96 bed acute unit is built.

Will Mr. Woods deal with the opening of the emergency department in May and assure us that the 96 bed acute unit is a priority for the HSE? It is very good news that the design work is under way and that we have not lost more time, but I wish to hear that the HSE is committed to funding the project which will cost €25 million. If funding comes through following the mid-term review of the national capital development plan which I very much hope will be the case, how long will it be before JCBs are on site and the 96 bed acute unit is fully operational?