Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Well actually this is getting to the stage of utter ridiculousness, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I do not answer here for all of the details of the Ministry of health. In fact, I am always advised that I am not even supposed to mention what is being discussed at Cabinet sub-committees because they are sub-committees of the Cabinet and one does not discuss Cabinet business in an open forum, but they are valid questions and people have to have a facility to have them answered, and that is either by Topical Issue to the Minister for Health of the day or the Oireachtas committee that deals with health and all of the opportunities to ask these questions.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh asked me some detailed questions to which I simply could not have the answer. He asked me if the theatre was going to be ready by June. What I said in my reply was that the orthopaedic post would be filled by June. I expect that the theatre, which has been provided for for quite some time, should of course be ready to deal with children who come before the hospital for treatment in June.

The Deputy mentioned other issues there. He talked about field hospitals. What is he on about? The Minister for Health came down to Mayo general hospital and looked at the emergency department down there, not at his suggestion, but at the suggestion of the staff and the manager who run the place. They said they needed extra space there. They were very happy to say that we provided them with an expansion of space out the back adjoining the existing emergency department, which is not for overnight stays, but which will relieve the pressure and the stress and the distress upon people. To come in here and describe it as some kind of a field hospital is-----

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