Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have had a chance to visit University Hospital Kerry in Tralee on a number of occasions and it is a very fine hospital. However, like many hospitals, it is under a lot of pressure at the moment. I am told that this morning there were more than 19 patients on trolleys, which is a lot for a relatively small hospital. As is the case in most hospitals across the country, we have seen a big increase in waiting lists because of the backlog of unmet need and care that it was not possible to meet during the pandemic period. I recognise the Deputy is raising these concerns in the House. A task force on waiting lists has been established in the past couple of days but I will ask the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, to pay particular attention to the situation in County Kerry, which I am aware has deteriorated a lot in recent weeks.

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