Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. The experience as outlined by his constituent is just not satisfactory at all. Nobody should have to go through that. If I run out of time, I will provide a more detailed written answer.

As to the emergency department and the maternity unit, the project design team has requested an assessment of the feasibility, as the Senator said, of the inclusion of a women and children's element to the block, which is positive. This would result in the completion of a full development as opposed to a "shell and core fit-out" of the women and children’s upper floors. The feasibility study has been completed and considered at this point by the HSE at national level. Supplementary information in response to queries is being prepared locally for submission to the HSE nationally. The project is of significant scale, which is right and proper, and has to go through all of the stages outlined in the public spending code. A planning application has not been submitted yet but will be submitted once the design has progressed to the appropriate point. This answer is not satisfactory for the Senator and I am, therefore, going to ask for an additional note on an indicative timeline as to when this will be done, as this is the question he asked, and it needs to be answered.

I will get a note for him on medical oncology services because I do not have one with me but I can give him an update on radiation oncology now. This is better news. Construction of the new radiation oncology unit at UHG was delayed by Covid-19, as we know. A contract was awarded in August and construction commenced in September, which is great. Construction will take approximately 24 months with a 12 month fit-out because it is highly specialised equipment at an estimated overall cost of €62 million, which is significant and important for the entire region,