Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)

Could I move on to the issue of the development of health services in Cork? In the past 20 years, no new beds have been made available in the Cork region, even though there has been a substantial increase in population.

Cork, in particular CUH, is also dealing with other work. In fact, I heard of a case recently where a patient was referred from as far away as Sligo. In relation to the roll-out of the elective hospital, it now seems to have been put on the back burner. Can we set out a clear timeline of when planning is going to be applied for?

We talked 20 years ago about the development of a neurological rehab facility in the southern region. Where are we with that? Remember, the population of the country has increased by over 40%. We have Dún Laoghaire, which is doing a really good job in relation to rehab, but there is a waiting list to get into it. What is the proposal for the south and south west?

The third issue is in relation to Mallow hospital. A four-storey building has been built, but two floors are still not developed. What is the timeline for when those two floors will become fully operational both in relation to outpatients and to hospital facilities themselves?