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

I acknowledge the situation in UHL is grave. The hospital suffers from a high level of overcrowding almost all the time.

There has been a lot of investment in the hospital in recent years. The budget has never been greater. Notwithstanding the difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff, there have never been more staff. I include medical and clinical staff in that. Extra beds have been provided and there is a whole new emergency department, which the Deputy will be aware of. I guarantee that these issues and concerns regarding the hospital are raised with me by Government Deputies, particularly those from Clare, Limerick and north Tipperary, all of the time.

On the management of the hospital, the Deputy may not be aware, but I am happy to clarify for the Dáil that hospital managers are not appointed by Government nor do we have the authority to dismiss them. They are employees hired in the normal way in which public sector employees are hired and they have basic rights under law to have their good names protected and to have any complaints against them heard fairly, following a particular process. I am a little uncomfortable to hear any staff being criticised in the House, where we are protected by privilege. We need to be careful about that but I will leave the matter there. I will certainly let the Minister for Health know that Deputy O'Donoghue has raised these matters.

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