Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It does not mean that the Minister is any less interested or committed to the project. Deputy Stanley is correct to say that it is not about resources. The resources to the hospital have improved under this Government by €12.5 million over the past three or four years, which is a significant increase in investment in any hospital the size of Portlaoise over that time. Nobody has a monopoly on the right thing to do. I welcome the debate in the House and the opportunity for public representatives to have their say. Our duty, as public representatives, is to feed into this process, and we have to have the voices of local people heard in our hospitals because they are the owners. Other voices have to be listened to, which voices have as much if not more expertise in different areas which affect the future of hospitals. I am referring to clinicians and people who practice, and also, of course, to the management of the HSE and departmental officials. Public representatives are a vital cog in that as well. I welcome the opportunity to air the debate here.

The draft report that we referred to was revised and resubmitted back in September after further consultation. There was a commitment that there would be an update on that report in the coming weeks. The Minister of Health, Deputy Harris, will give us an update on that revised report.

See this speech in context