Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for her continued support for Bantry. She has been very consistent on it and that is much appreciated. I was at a meeting with the management team in the hospital on Monday. We met the CEO of the hospital group, Mr. Gerry O'Dwyer, and the CEO of Cork University Hospital, CUH. The team from the department of surgery in CUH was also present with a view to increasing the available theatre time. As the Deputy knows, the theatre is only open two and a half days a week. We are making consistent strides towards getting that theatre open five days a week in order to build greater theatre capacity within the greater Cork area. That is very good news and positive not only for west Cork, but for all of Cork because some of the waiting list in CUH can be dealt with in Bantry when this is achieved. We are making good progress on that front.

The endoscopy unit has been confirmed in the capital plan. There will be a meeting in the HSE tomorrow with regard to the detail of the capital plan.

It is on track and progress is being made on it. I assure the Deputy that the rehabilitation unit announced by the Minister on his visit to Bantry is still very much to the fore. It was discussed at length at our meeting last Monday with the hospital group and the management teams of CUH and Bantry hospital and will continue to be discussed at those monthly meetings.