Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not dispute that. The Minister's party held the office when the emergency departments in Limerick and Nenagh were closed. If we want to do a history lesson, let us do a history lesson. I am talking about the HIQA report the Minister announced in April of this year, four years to the day, more or less, since the Minister took up his position. The Minister can take offence all he likes. It does not really bother me. However, people in Clare are asking, if it takes a year to decide whether an emergency department is necessary, how long is it going to take to build it. I will ask the Minister a straight question. He has been Minister for Health for four years. He has been working in the Department of Health for four years and I have no doubt that this issue is on his desk every day. I would never question his sincerity in this regard but, outside of any HIQA report, does he believe the mid-west should have a model 3 hospital and an additional emergency department? What is the Minister's own view?