Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is the only solution. There are barriers to that. Appropriately qualified consultant orthopaedic surgeons and theatre nurses need to be recruited. There needs to be sufficient theatre time and theatre space. I met the consultants in Crumlin who are the specialists in this area quite some time ago. They agreed that a whole new theatre was needed in Crumlin to provide additional capacity there. That is now under construction. Work is being done to staff the new theatre, which should be open in the new year. It will allow us to double capacity for children's orthopaedic surgery in Crumlin. This development is taking place even though an entire new hospital will be built in a few years time. The situation is so serious that we cannot wait for the new hospital to be completed. That is why the new theatre is being built. Efforts are under way to staff it. In the meantime, other hospitals that can help out are helping out. Temple Street Hospital, for example, is taking three patients. Stanmore Hospital near London is taking patients. That is important too. Some cases are being sent out privately to be done in Blackrock. In regard to Galway, I have asked my Department-----

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