Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Senator may have time as I have only a couple of questions. I have been following the debate from my office. We are talking about Sláintecare and how things are manifesting themselves in terms of the workplace strategy. We had the UL Hospitals Group here last week and the issue of elective hospitals came up again. The group is adamant an elective hospital is needed in the mid-west. I explained to its representatives that this has not been the recommendation from the hierarchy of the HSE to the Government. We have gone over this twice in previous meetings and both Mr. Watt and Mr. Reid said it is for Government to decide, but yet the advisory memo that has come from the HSE says the hospital is not required. It is Dublin, Cork and Galway that are mentioned. I asked for details of who is on that advisory body. Mr. Reid told me he would furnish me with that detail beyond the meeting but I never got it. Will Mr. Reid tell the committee who is advising Government on the location of elective-only hospitals? Who are these people? Are Mr. Watt and Mr. Reid on the body? Second, why is there opposition to there being an elective-only hospital when every single person at management level in the mid-west is screaming out for one?