Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Taoiseach is aware, there has been a 40% increase in the population of the country. There has been a huge population increase in the Cork area in particular. The Government decided there would be a new elective hospital built in Cork. My understanding was that a design team was appointed 12 months ago. When the Secretary General of the Department of Health was before the health committee the week before last, he advised the design team for designing the hospital still has not been appointed. He said while a preliminary team was put in place, the new team has not been put in place. When is a team going to be put in place? When is the design of the project going to start? When are we likely to have a planning application lodged for the building of a new elective hospital in Cork? We need it to deal with day care procedures and provide access to theatres, which many consultants cannot get at the present time.

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