Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This Government has invested very significantly in Waterford. The €170 million for the North Quays' development is transformative in the heart of the city. I am delighted with that. The Deputy has to acknowledge the establishment of the South East Technological University, SETU. Lately, there has been great news about the veterinary college at Kildalton, the pharmacy school now founded in Waterford and the purchase of the former Waterford Crystal site for campus expansion. I was one of the first Ministers to purchase land for the expansion of the university in Waterford. Those are real achievements which will help Waterford and the south east to develop.

At the hospital, a new surgical hub and a new pathology laboratory are on the way. Extra staff has been recruited and there are now 2,796 people working in the hospital. There has been huge advancement in elder care and in mental health services in Waterford. A second CAT lab is open, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with 24 additional staff secured. Some 18 new staff for weekend cover is to be completed. That will give 90% coverage, which is enormous progress during the term of this Government. I want to pay tribute to the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler. Her appointment to the Department of Health has been very impactful for Waterford in terms of the second CAT lab and more generally in terms of mental health developments, in particular around the ADHD team that has been appointed and the crisis-resolution team in mental health which has been appointed.

Some €7 million has been provided for Walsh Park, a stadium which needed investment for growth. Overall, €14 million in sports capital has been provided. I accept that much more needs to be done but in the last four and a half years we have witnessed probably the most significant investment in Waterford, more than in any previous decade.

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