Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----I am going to make the point, and it is not particular to Deputy Kenny, that children from Sligo will benefit from this massive investment we are making in children's healthcare, which was promised years ago and debated but about which nothing was done. We are now getting on with delivering it.

In regard to the adult insulin pump services, in fairness to Deputy Kenny, he and Grainne McCann, the manager in Sligo University Hospital, have highlighted an issue. The issue is that, in order to run an adult insulin pump service, there is a requirement for a dietician and for a clinical nurse specialist. We are in the process, after budget 2020 this week, of preparing the HSE budget, service level agreements, allocations to hospital groups and the like for 2020. Therefore, it could be timely to engage with the Oireachtas Members for Sligo, the hospital and the HSE to see if this is something we can progress.

As I said, I accept the Deputy's sincerity and he has raised the issue many times. There are 30 adults who could benefit from this and I will work with him constructively to see if we can assist Sligo University Hospital to make progress on this in the coming weeks.

See this speech in context