Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and his team. The Minister has long heard me say that the 2009 decision to close 24-hour accident and emergency care in Ennis, Nenagh and St.John's was absolutely woeful for the mid-west region in which I live, and for County Clare, which I represent. It was absolutely woeful and has led to really poor health outcomes for many people, including death for some families. The perpetuation of this centre of excellence notion, both in the world of politics and by some in health leadership roles, is downright insulting to people in the region who face those woeful health outcomes. I want to acknowledge the Minister's efforts since he took office in 2020 and those of some of the people around him. They are trying their best after a decade of a hollowing-out of the health system and not investing in it. They are trying their best and there are improvements being made, which I acknowledge. It is the 2009 decision that I am hugely critical of and the whole rhetoric around that has to change. Ireland has to fess up and admit this was a huge failing on the part of the Government, the body politic and the health leadership in 2009.

When my mother began nursing in UHL, which was then called Limerick Regional Hospital, in the 1980s the population being served was 300,000 and there were five emergency departments in the wider region. These days, there are 500,000 people all being funnelled through one accident and emergency system. That contrasts so sharply with Dublin, where there are 1 million people with access to eight emergency departments.

I have a number of questions and will begin with Aoife Johnston, Lord have mercy on her. We all saw the "Prime Time" special programme last week. Mr. Justice Frank Clarke unequivocally stated that the death of Aoife Johnston at University Hospital Limerick in December 2022 was "almost certainly unavoidable". On this basis, and in accordance with the demand of Aoife's bereaved parents, Carol and James, will the Minister be setting up a statutory inquiry into her death? Given that there were huge systematic failures, will a State apology be offered?