Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Deputy on her election to the Dáil. I wish her well. She is right to highlight the issue of University Hospital Limerick. It is a major issue for her constituents and for people in the mid-west more broadly. I could quote figures showing the increased budget, the increased staffing and the increase in beds that have taken place, but I accept there is much more to do. That is why the previous Minister for Health, as the Deputy's colleague Deputy Cullinane will know, asked HIQA last year to lead a review into urgent and emergency care capacity in the mid-west region, including consideration of the need for a second ED. An interim update is expected this month. The final report is expected in May. That will guide the Government's next steps.

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