Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I like to think I try to fight inequality as well. I think we all do in our own way. Certainly my comments describing the virus as a villain related to the fact that sometimes in this place there can be a culture of blame, such as blaming NPHET or blaming the HSE. From my experience, everyone has been working 24-7 to do their very best against the challenge of the virus.

I offer my sincere apologies that we did not revert to the Deputy on her specific query on Merlin Park hospital. We will, of course, do that.

On the Deputy's legitimate point about the reopening of services and why are we not using them, the HSE's non-Covid care plan, which is being worked through with all the hospital groups, is due to go to its board for final approval next Wednesday and to be published next week. I take the point we need to get many of these services back up and running. I also, by the way, believe that the Merlin Park site could well be the home of the new elective hospital that Galway badly needs. That will be a matter for the new Government. We will have the HSE's non-Covid care plan next week which will be about turning back on some of the non-Covid services including those-----

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