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

I thank Deputy Howlin for raising the issue. The Deputy is personally committed to Wexford Hospital, as he has been for all of his political life, as indeed all of his colleagues representing the county have as well.

Deputy Howlin is correct. A disaster, on one level, has been averted in the sense of no loss of life and injury. It is quite incredible to comprehend the degree to which the fire services, the first responders and the ambulance service all got together so quickly to prevent disaster from unfolding in terms of human fatality and injury as a result of this fire.

Mar a dúirt an Teachta, ní neart go cur le chéile. Bhí spiorad na meithle le feiscint agus le brath aréir i Loch Garman. Táimid go léir buíoch de gach aon duine a ghlac páirt chun cabhair agus tacaíocht a thabhairt do dhaoine aréir.

As the Deputy said, the crisis management team is meeting today. The Government is clear and is determined to do whatever it takes to provide services for all those impacted in Wexford as a result of this and in the hinterland the hospital serves. We are determined to do everything we possibly can to help to assist and provide for services.

This is an emergency that has arisen because of this fire and we have to allow those at the coalface to put the nuts and bolts together in terms of the pathways for the patients and the protocols in respect of emergency responses to cardiac situations and how we deal with cancer patients. The entire health service nationally has to rally to this cause now because we have to respond in the manner that the Deputy has suggested.

As I said earlier, we should take the opportunity, in terms of a new build or a rebuild, to encompass additional capacity as well in terms of the 72 beds or 76 beds that have been promised -

See this speech in context