Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I accept there are delays in getting the construction and so on because of Covid and all the rest of it. I cannot go down there and build it myself. However, we have committed the resources to doing it and we have asked the South/South West Hospital Group and the HSE to get on with it as fast as they possibly can - both the physical facility and the resources.

Regarding the broader situation in Waterford, there needs to be balance. The south east is progressing. The Government was very concerned about the economic performance of the south east and wanted to improve on it. The foreign direct investment, FDI, performance in the region has been strong over the past five years, with employment among IDA Ireland clients increasing by 25%. The Deputy knows that PublicRelay, Horizon Therapeutics, Eirgen Pharma, Infosys and Tegus all provide substantial employment. Exchequer funding of €14.3 million to date has been provided for the technological university, which is very good for Waterford and for the south east in general.

See this speech in context