Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are not singing any song. The Deputy should stop trying to misrepresent the position here. This is a situation where a very significant hospital in the country is under a lot of pressure. We are putting in place significant resources to respond to that pressure. Of course I acknowledge, as does the Government, the difficulties that staff and patients faced yesterday and face today and this week in the context of UHL. The pressures in this hospital are not new, which is why we have dramatically increased resources and will continue to do so until the capacity pressures are resolved. That is why we are in the process of adding two new blocks with 96 extra beds. One will open in the first quarter of next year and I understand the other will open in the fourth quarter of next year. There is, of course, an acknowledgement that all is not well at University Hospital Limerick when we compare it to the performance many other hospitals around the country. That is why we need to address those issues, which are primarily capacity and resourcing issues. I can assure the Deputy that the Government will continue to add more beds and more staff and improve management at the hospital.

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