Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As a historian, long before he became our Taoiseach, the Taoiseach must have thought about what his enduring legacy might be. I used to think the oft-quoted Fianna Fáil reflection on Government as "senior hurling" was about political competition, the training and effort taken, the resilience and gumption required and the skill of our national sport, not that our Cabinet members tog out in their individual county jerseys. The mean-spirited question I have for the Taoiseach, for which I apologise in advance, is whether he is a Cork Taoiseach or a Taoiseach who just happens to be from Cork.

I ask this grim but important question because we are now half way into his term as Taoiseach and in that time we have seen two budgets and the revised national development plan. I remind the Taoiseach of a pre-election promise he made to the people of the south east in 2016. He promised to provide 24-7 cardiac care to the south east region. That year he stood for a picture on the grounds of University Hospital Waterford, UHW, with his candidate and all his Fianna Fáil councillors and committed to delivering 24-7 services. That picture was at the centre of the Taoiseach's 2016 campaign. It was the photo that restored a seat to his party in Waterford. The Taoiseach did not stand and promise another study, review or investigation. He deliberately stood on the grounds of UHW and committed to deliver a long-promised life-saving service and one which is available to people in every region of the country except those of us in the south east.

In the preceding general election of 2011, Enda Kenny pledged the south east a full university and with that promise he took half of the seats in the region, that is, seven out of 14. However, in power, he resiled from that promise. His party, Fine Gael, now has just two of those 14 seats while we in the region were left pick up the massive economic and social costs of that lost decade. This is heartbreaking when we see Grangegorman springing to life.

At this point in time, the Taoiseach's legacy in the south east is from his time as Minister for Education when, under pressure from Cork, he undid the institute of technology upgrade in 1997.

In the south-east region and in Waterford, Enda Kenny's legacy is entirely framed by his unkept promise, his broken word. I have a simple question for the Taoiseach. Will there be a 24-7 cardiac care service, a service available in every other region in Ireland, in the south east before he leaves the Taoiseach's office? Will he be keeping his promise?

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