Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Baineann mo cheist le Gaillimh agus an fáinne fí atá ar siúl, faraor géar, le fada an lá maidir leis an roinn timpistí agus éigeandála nua agus an t-ospidéal nua atá beartaithe. Tá neart eolais ag an Tánaiste faoi Ghaillimh. Is iar-Aire Sláinte é agus bhí sé i nGaillimh cúpla uair agus labhair sé faoin ábhar.

My question relates to the hospitals in Galway. The Tánaiste is familiar with this subject. He is a former Minister for Health and has been to Galway. I used the term "fáinne fí" to describe the unreal magic going on in relation to the accident and emergency department and the lack of progress in Galway. The former Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, said it was not fit for purpose. The current Taoiseach echoed that and the former Minister, Deputy Simon Harris, said the same thing.

I looked at the questions. One would need an advanced post-doctoral degree in some type of English to understand the responses. We talk about business cases and feasibility studies being updated. The estates part of the Health Service Executive is considering it. I do not know what it is considering. However, I know an accident and emergency department is urgently needed in Galway. The Tánaiste has agreed with it but it is nowhere to be seen. There is no planning application. There is no nothing.

An options appraisal came down on the side of a new hospital in Galway as the long-term plan, in addition to short-term and medium-term solutions. A capacity review of beds has been conducted. As the Tánaiste is aware, University Hospital Galway caters for approximately 1 million people from County Donegal to County Galway. It is one of the busiest hospitals in the country.

I will read from the additional report to the options appraisal, the regional elective hospital scoping study. A study carried out on the existing infrastructure stated that "64% and 95% of the infrastructure in UHG and MPUH (respectively) is ‘not satisfactory/unacceptable’ for its current function". The study later refers to operating at capacity and lengthy waiting lists and so on.

I will try to be focused. I have a sense of utter frustration. I cannot imagine what it is like for the staff, and more importantly, the patients. I have responses going back to 2015 telling me the emergency department is going on the capital list. An options appraisal and a scoping study tells me the long-term solution - long term being in the next ten years - is for a hospital in Merlin Park. In between, the programme for Government promises an elective hospital which I have no difficulty with. I have difficulty with the confusion and two of the Tánaiste's colleagues having a public spat in County Galway in relation to who is holding back what. It is not the type of leadership we want and it is why the Health Service Executive got an options appraisal to guide the way forward. I ask the Tánaiste for a focused reply on what he knows about Galway.

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