Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for her question. It is timely, as I will visit University Hospital Galway, UHG, on Thursday as it happens.

The Deputy will be aware of proposals for further significant capital investment there. That includes additional bed capacity, a new emergency department, new paediatric and maternity facilities, a new helipad, replacement laboratories and a cancer centre at UHG. A surgical hub is under construction at Merlin Park and plans for the new elective hospital are progressing.

Due to the scale and complexity of these projects, a programmatic approach is necessary to ensure the continued delivery of care on the congested hospital campus. We could not deliver it all at once on one site, so that master plan to move around is important.

A UHG capital programme oversight board has developed an integrated, strategic master plan for UHG by way of a campus development control plan, DCP. That master-planning process, informed by population health needs and regional clinical demand will, as the Deputy will be aware, provide a clear plan for the sequencing and delivery of the new capacity and facilities. Both the DCP and the programme strategic assessment report are currently being finalised by the HSE. I understand that it is to be presented to the HSE board for approval at the end of this month. We expect that it will then be submitted to the Department next month for review in line with the infrastructure guidelines. The HSE has advised that initial enabling works to support this programme of works have begun as I imagine the Deputy will be aware.

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