James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The key point is that both projects have been on the list for a long time. I was delighted to be able to receive an extra €12 million for the capital fund from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in order to expedite the sorely needed facility in Wexford General Hospital. I will address the issues raised by some of the Deputies, in particular the disingenuousness shown by Deputy Denis Naughten when he suggested the provision of capital funding for this project had delayed the provision of the endoscopy unit in Roscommon. It has not. The level of new services provided in that hospital and the increased footfall to which I can refer in my final response prove the point that this hospital been well capitalised, including the money spent by a previous Government on the accident and emergency department. It was well known that the service provided was not safe, as adjudicated on by HIQA. Deputies Denis Naughten and Luke 'Ming' Flanagan were at the meeting with Deputy Frank Feighan and me when Tracey Cooper of HIQA made it very clear that the service was not and could not be made safe. I gave an undertaking to support the hospital and we have done so. There is much greater footfall than before. I can go through the data later.

See this speech in context