Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The facilities at University Hospital Galway are not fit for purpose. I have been there in recent months and I am very much aware of the ambitious capital investment plans, which we will support. They need to happen because the scale of demand for services there is only going to go in one direction, and we have to ensure we have not just the staffing but the physical infrastructure to meet that need. That is why the new master plan will involve the new emergency department as well as the women's and children's block and a whole range of other facilities, including a cancer centre. There has been investment in recent times. The new radiation oncology facility opened last year and, in addition, the hospital has been granted a capital allocation for the creation of a third endoscopy procedure room, including additional facilities as part of that.

We should also recognise, to be fair, that overall, trolley numbers are down nationally. The Deputy has highlighted what is happening today in the hospital, and I am saying to her, as Minister on behalf of the Government, that that is not acceptable to us and we will address it both in the short term and with a plan for the medium- to long-term improvement of services there.

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