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

I thank the Deputy. University Hospital Waterford is one of the best performing hospitals in the country. It has seen overcrowding go down and waiting lists shortened and has very much risen to the challenge given what happened in Wexford with the fire there. I am glad to see the emergency department will reopen in Wexford next week. I believe hospitals which perform well should be rewarded. This is a matter I have asked my team to examine at the moment.

The Deputy has raised it with me one to one, as have Senator Cummins and the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, as the Deputy might imagine. I am keen to see any healthcare projects which have planning permission, are shovel-ready and are ready to go proceeding as soon as possible.

There are about 500 projects in the system, by the way, so it is not the case that every project can proceed immediately. That is just not possible but certainly those which have planning permission should proceed to tender as soon as possible. My team are currently engaging both with the Department of Health and with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

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