Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Yes. I visited Naas General Hospital and met staff. I also met representatives from the Dublin Midlands hospital group. I know the capital project is a priority both for the hospital and the hospital group. It will make a huge difference to endoscopy waiting lists, not just for Naas General Hospital but also for the entire Dublin Midlands hospital group. This was a project that was ready to proceed when the economic crash happened and it was very unfortunate, as Deputy Durkan and I will remember from visiting there, that the hospital just lost out as capital dried up during the recession. Now that we are back with a much larger capital budget of €11 billion for the next ten years, compared to just over €4.9 for the last ten, this will be a priority project. We are currently engaging with the HSE on finalising our capital plans for 2019 and it will be considered in that context.