Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the leeway; I was chairing a committee. I want to ask about the HIQA report into emergency care in the mid-west region, in particular University Hospital Limerick. The report was commissioned early last autumn and is due to come to the Government by the end of this month or possibly early next month. Is there any update on that? When might we know the outcome? There will surely be a recommendation that UHL needs to be beefed up with more beds and investment. That would be a good thing, but my concern as a Clare TD is that peripheral areas in north and west Clare are a long way removed from what is dubbed the golden hour of healthcare. I would like something to be done about developing emergency care in County Clare because the golden hour does not exist for some people. Last year, one quarter of all presentations at UHL were County Clare people. I hope the report will come out soon and be positive. Is there any detail the Taoiseach can share with us today?

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