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

The short answer is "Yes". As we discussed at the meeting, I foresee Ennis and Nenagh hospitals being upgraded. It is already the case that more patients who are sick but stable are being taken there directly by ambulance. That protocol could be extended further provided it is safe to do so. There can be more medical assessment unit slots and longer hours for the local injury unit. Ennis only has about 50 beds and Nenagh is roughly similar. If those hospitals are going to do more work, they are going to have to be bigger. It is something we are going to examine as part of the overall solution to the problems in UHL. The solutions cannot just be in that hospital; there has to be a regional solution.

See this speech in context