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

I think we can expedite this project and I think we should. I have not had an update on it in several weeks but I will get one and pass it on to the Deputy. I will be meeting the new CEO of the HSE. I certainly want to see us expediting capital projects in hospitals across the country, not just in Castlebar. I know this is an important one. Notwithstanding the extra 1,000 beds that have been added to hospitals in the past three years and 20,000 more staff, demand has increased considerably. Even for this time of year in May, there is an unusually high number of patients on trolleys. As the Deputy pointed out, attendances are 15% to 30% higher than would have been the case in May 2019. It is very hard to understand what is driving this and it seriously concerns me.

See this speech in context