Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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In last October's budget of €9.4 billion, the Government made the very cruel decision to leave disabled people worse off by €1,400. Since then, life has become so much harder for everybody, but all the more so if one is a disabled person who has fallen further and further behind. Our Dáil motion yesterday called on the Government to do two things. First, to deliver an emergency €500 cost of disability payment now and, second, to introduce a new permanent cost of disability scheme. Instead of listening, the Government pushed back. It rejected our motion and the amendment it brought forward is an insult to disabled people.

It is consultation after consultation and report after report for the Government, when it knows exactly what needs to be done and what the issues are. Yet, the Government tells disabled people to wait. It is the same for carers. At the rate the Government is going, it will take 30 years to abolish the means test for carers. There is no urgency at all.

Yesterday, the Government announced a new autism assessment protocol, but one of the first things from the mouth of the Minister for Health was that the Government will not have enough staff for the new assessment centres. Good God. Who announces new centres knowing that we do not have the staff to make them work? This is happening when more than 20,000 children are waiting for an assessment of needs, thousands of children with disabilities are waiting for therapies, supports and services, hundreds of children with additional needs are waiting for a school place and thousands of children are in inappropriate school placements.

Every single summer, parents face a battle to find an appropriate school place for their child the following September. Despite all of the big promises made by the Government, this summer is no different. Tonight in Cabra, in my community, parents will hold a meeting on this issue again. We will hear more stories of pressure and rejection letters piled high on the kitchen table. I know one mother who has received 17 rejection letters for her child. We will hear stories of children being offered school places that do not exist in classrooms that have not been opened or even built. Does the Government know what that does to a parent and child?

We will also hear anger that the window for July provision applications for summer educational support for children with additional needs was open for only one week this year. What is that all about? In previous years, the window was open for months. This unreasonable timeframe means that many children will miss out on vital educational support this summer. Why is the Government making life so difficult for these families? It needs to immediately reopen the application window to allow schools to get their applications in.

Tá Fianna Fáil agus Fine Gael ag teip ar dhaoine faoi mhíchumas agus páistí le riachtanais bhreise le blianta fada. Caithfear deireadh a chur leis. Tá sé in am don Rialtas meas a léiriú agus seirbhísí agus tacaíocht cheart a chur ar fáil.

The failure of people and children with additional needs is immense. I have raised several issues with the Taoiseach today, but I could go on and on. I appeal to the Taoiseach to deliver the cost of disability scheme, resource the new autism assessment centres, guarantee an appropriate school place for every child in September and, for goodness sake, immediately reopen the application window for July provision.

Deputies:

Hear, hear.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ar dtús báire, ní aontaím leis an Teachta. Tá an-chuid déanta againn. Gan amhras, tá i bhfad níos mó le déanamh againn maidir le daoine le míchumas. Tagraím don infheistíocht atá curtha isteach againn, go háirithe sa cháinaisnéis anuraidh. Ba é an méadú is mó riamh in aon cháinaisnéis.

The investment in disability has been very strong. The last budget saw one of the largest ever increases in disability services, up to 20% of an increase, which is significant and is having an impact, in particular in terms of service providers who are providing services to people with disabilities.

In respect of the cost of disability, the Deputy is being somewhat disingenuous by pretending it is one consultation after another, the process is simple and the Government should just go and do it. It is not that simple. There could be over 1 million people who identify with a disability in the census, about 22% of the population. One can go through all of the various age categories. It is not that simple. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, as the Deputy knows, organised a significant public consultation which has received a significant number of responses.

I attended the strategic focus network summit on the cost of disability on 13 May. It brought together all of the key stakeholders to share perspectives and inform our approach. This is a significant and complex initiative. It is better that we do this in a structured and targeted way so that those most in need will avail of and benefit from it.

It is not just a once-off payment. That will not work on a sustainable basis

Work is under way now to bring together all of the views and evidence. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, will bring forward a paper in July in respect of the cost of disability payment arising out of all of that consultation. We will then assess that in the context of the Estimates for decisions in the next budget. As I said, the previous budget deliberately prioritised permanent structural supports that will endure in five and ten years' time. The core rates went up significantly. Child support payments went up dramatically again. For any child over 12, it went up by €16, to €78 a week, and for anybody under 12, it went up by €8, to €58 a week. There has been a sustained increase in child support payments over the last number of years.

On education, Deputy McDonald is deliberately ignoring the dramatic increases in resources in education in terms of special needs assistants, special education teachers and also classes.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Government tried to cut them.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We will have places for children next September. As Deputy McDonald knows, with the decision of the early entry portal, many more applied than was anticipated and 6,000 children who are within existing mainstream schools applied for special class status, which will be provided for and very substantial additional resources have been allocated to meet that need.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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Is that a guarantee?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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No one can deny the extraordinary and very significant investment that has been made - rightly so - in special education.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Is the Government reopening the July provision?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is quite significant.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Is the Government reopening the July provision?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy has an awful habit of interrupting. I have never interrupted her once in anything she says.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach mumbles. He does not enunciate clearly.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I beg your pardon?

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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You do not enunciate clearly. You mumbled. I did not hear what you said.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Okay, we will leave it. We will leave it.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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That is shocking.

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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That is an appalling comment to make. A disgrace.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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That is a new low. It is a new low.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I ask everybody to be respectful. There are a lot of people in the Gallery. I call Deputy McDonald.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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These are important issues and it is important when the Head of Government addresses them that he is audible, clear and I can hear him. It is not a case of whether the Taoiseach agrees with me or not. He seems singularly unable to acknowledge the real experience of disabled people who are telling him, and have told him for quite some time, that they are struggling financially. At times, they have told stories of making choices between heating and eating. Even in scenarios that are not that extreme, they are under huge pressure. The Taoiseach is right. A one-off payment is not the be all and end all but they need that now. They also need a cost of disability scheme.

For all of the Taoiseach's palaver about what the Government has done and his clapping himself on his back, I have a letter here from one mother who is explaining what she is living through now because her child does not have the guarantee of a school place in September. She talks about watching time run out while everybody else's child moves forward and her frustration at having to repeatedly prove her child's need to the system.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy. I call the Taoiseach to respond.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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She talks about the uncertainty, the exhaustion, the guilt and the anger.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The Deputy's time is up. I call the Taoiseach.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Can the Taoiseach please tell everybody that he is guaranteeing a school place for every child? Is he reopening the July provision?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputy McDonald's time is up.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I recognise the issues facing people with disabilities. The first thing I did in government was to set up a special disability unit within my Department to prioritise and drive delivery of services and to improve them in every single Government Department and in a whole-of-government approach. We have established a Cabinet subcommittee on disability to deal with all aspects of public services and departmental responses and we have launched a human rights strategy in respect of disabled people. The prioritisation is clear and the investments have followed that prioritisation, especially in special education. There have been many more new special schools established in the past 12 months. There have been hundreds and hundreds of additional special classes added. Staff numbers are up 27% since 2020 in special education.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Will every child have a school place?

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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Stop interrupting.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We will have 26,000 special needs assistants by the beginning of the next school year. There will be 26,000 of them and I could go on.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The Taoiseach's time is up. I call Deputy Bacik.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We need to do more and we will do more, as we have with the school therapy services.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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Today's Environmental Protection Agency report confirms Ireland is nowhere near on-track to meet our climate targets. In fact, we are projected to achieve barely half of the emissions reductions required by law. In that context, the climate Minister’s interview earlier today with David McCullagh on RTÉ was extraordinary. The Minister urged us to look on the bright side throughout but, however he tries to spin it - he is good at spinning - there is no silver lining. The Green Party’s exit from Government marked the death knell of Fianna Fáil’s ambition on climate. Take this year’s climate action plan. The Minister, Deputy O’Brien, has confirmed it will not arrive until quarter 3. A climate plan for 2026 published with just three months left in the year is laughable.

We know why it has not arrived. It is because the Government has no plan and the numbers are getting worse. This is also why the Government sat on the land use review for months on end. Emissions from that sector are projected to soar by more than 70%. Michael Healy-Rae may have resigned as Minister of State but we now know he is far from the most sizeable thing being emitted from the forestry sector. While emissions rise, the Government is dismantling crucial protections for our environment. Take the Critical Infrastructure Bill. It fundamentally undermines the climate Act, allowing major infrastructure projects to bypass climate considerations entirely. This was a sly move by the Government and, appallingly, it was supported by almost all Opposition parties, except for the Labour Party and the Green Party. A false choice has been cynically presented: Ireland must either build infrastructure or decarbonise. That is nonsense.

We know we can build homes, transport and energy infrastructure while also cutting emissions. As our Labour Party climate spokesperson, Ciarán Ahern TD, has pointed out, other countries are doing this. The Government is doing neither at the scale required. Ireland’s infrastructure deficit is our single biggest economic challenge. Offshore wind is delayed.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is not delayed.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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Upgrades to the grid crawl at a snail’s pace. The Government is missing emissions targets and ripping up climate protections. It is a famine of ambition. Let us take transport. The Taoiseach's rhetoric increasingly tries to manufacture an urban-rural divide on climate and transport. Of course, we know some people will always need cars in both rural and urban areas.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is great.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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However, children are breathing polluted air, our roads are choked with traffic, we have some of the highest asthma rates in Europe and in a cost of living crisis, households are spending a fortune on fuel and car costs because they have no other choice. There is endless outrage in this House expressed about bike sheds, particularly from the largest Opposition party, but we know a single car parking space costs up to €70,000 and the OPW spends more than €1 million a year leasing parking spaces for civil servants. Cycling saves money and reduces emissions. The Government is failing on active travel, failing on climate targets and failing to deliver infrastructure at scale.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The Deputy's time is up. She should have asked her question in the time.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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Where is the progress? Why can the Government not take climate seriously?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I reject very strongly the Deputy's assertion that we are not taking climate seriously. Her reference to the Green Party not being in government is false.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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The Green Party is not in government.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We are doing things differently because there is a problem, which the Deputy referenced in terms of the Critical Infrastructure Bill. One of the issues is the fundamentalist, purist and perfect is always the enemy of the good. We will achieve far more on climate than perhaps the Labour Party approach or, at times, the Green Party approach because we need to bring people with us. That consensus has broken down. I can see it in the Dáil in the past few years. The Government's commitment has not lessened on climate.

We will get there in a more practical and effective way. To be frank, the Deputy is saying we can build infrastructure - we cannot, in many instances, because environmental law has been weaponised at every turn.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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Oh, no.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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It has been. The Deputy needs to face up to it and not be naive. At every turn, significant infrastructure and even infrastructure that will improve the climate has faced challenges because environmental considerations have been weaponised. That is a problem and a challenge. It is a problem all over Europe, by the way. It is all over Europe. That is why some of the renewable energy directives, REDs, were brought in at European level to make sure the overall good is prioritised, as with offshore wind farms. These will benefit climate but because of some aspects related to nature they can be delayed interminably. Choices always have to be made with development. It is not apple pie in every single scenario.

The bottom line is that Ireland now has the lowest level of greenhouse gas emissions in 35 years. The Deputy said it is rising. Our emissions are decreasing. One of the successful things we have been able to do is decouple economic growth from emissions. The EPA's latest projections predict we are likely to either achieve our first carbon budget or marginally exceed it, as well as showing significant emissions reductions across major sectors of the economy.

Emissions in agriculture are set to decrease by between 4% and 19%, and those in transport are set to decrease by between 16% and 28%. These reductions in our largest sectors are significant and should not be dismissed.

Emissions from electricity generation are estimated to reduce by between 53% and 60% by 2030. With additional measures, we are projected to meet our overall Carbon Budget 1 programme target, with only three sectors set to miss their 2025 sectoral emissions ceilings: transport, industry and public and commercial buildings. The Deputy did not refer to any of that in her opening remarks. The projected reduction now has increased to 25%, as opposed to 23%, which was the previous assessment of the EPA. Therefore, we are making progress. The issue is how we can make progress faster.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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That is exactly it. We acknowledge where there has been progress but it is the scale of the progress that is the problem. It is the pace of change that is the problem. There is no sense from the Government of the necessary ambition or urgency to take the further measures required to achieve the emissions reductions we have signed up to. The figures speak for themselves. The Taoiseach may seek to scapegoat climate for delays in infrastructure. The children's hospital has seen chronic delays. This was not due to climate or environmental concerns. There are failings in the Government on delivering infrastructure projects.

George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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The children's hospital.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I reference the children's hospital because the Taoiseach is saying the environment is being weaponised to delay infrastructure provision but there are plenty of delays in the Government's infrastructure projects which have no basis in climate considerations. The figures in the EPA report speak for themselves. The Taoiseach's climate Minister may spin a good spin and he sought to blag on housing figures as housing Minister.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy. Her time is up. The Taoiseach will respond.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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He was doing the same this morning on climate.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputy, the time is up.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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The figures speak for themselves.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The Taoiseach to respond.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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The Taoiseach cannot get away with this on climate.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputy Bacik, there is no point in us talking over each other. Your time is up.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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We need to deliver reductions at a greater pace.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We need an honest debate. Let us deal with the facts. Ireland now has the lowest level of greenhouse gas emissions in 35 years.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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Yes but from a high-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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No. Hold on. Look at what else has happened in the 35 years. That is in the context of an increase in population of 1.5 million, more than 1 million new homes and over 1 million more vehicles on the road. Those are dramatic statistics. We are growing as a population. We were relatively under-populated historically but our population is now growing dramatically. With 1.5 million more people, 1 million additional homes and 1 million additional vehicles, we have the lowest level of emissions in 35 years. We have decoupled economic growth from this issue, which is key.

I set up a clearing house in my Department to drive offshore wind energy development. We are not delaying it. We brought industry in to obtain a systemic assessment of the issues that could be a factor in developing offshore wind energy generation. The Deputy knows what has happened in the US, where there is a public policy against offshore wind. That is impacting on the economics. We are driving forward-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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We must move on. The Taoiseach's time is up.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----and we have offshore wind proposals in planning.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I call Deputy Charles Ward.

Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party)
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I want to raise the matter of how the State is communicating life-changing decisions to people in the defective concrete blocks scheme. A constituent of mine applied in 2022. Her home was assessed by an IS 465 engineer on the Housing Agency's list. The conclusion was clear: scientific and engineering principles dictated that full demolition and rebuilding was the only safe option to restore this unsafe home. The Housing Agency did not accept that, however, and it downgraded the remediation option to option 2, which retains defective material within the structure, despite extremely low compressive strength levels and readings, and clear evidence of ongoing deterioration inside and outside the house. My constituent appealed that decision and that appeal took years. On 18 May at 9 o'clock in the morning, she received an email from the appeals board stating her appeal had been upheld, the Housing Agency's decision had been annulled and option 1, demolition and rebuild, was directed. That was presented as the outcome of her appeal. For those living in structurally unsafe homes, it is about something as simple as being able to move on. My constituent thought she could move on and that there was finally an answer. Hours later, however, she received a second email that stated the first communication was sent in error and did not reflect the decision of the board. It apologised for the confusion caused.

This is not a minor administrative correction; this is a life-changing communication issued by the State, through the body that withdrew its decision on the same day it made it known. The woman affected followed every single rule of the process and compiled everything in the right order for years, knowing her home had deteriorated and praying and hoping she would get through the process, only to have a decision made and reversed on the same day.

I am not questioning the independence of the appeals panel. That is definitely not the issue here. The issue is that those running a State-administrated scheme dealing with unsafe homes confirmed, in an official written communication, a full demolition and rebuild outcome and retracted that communication hours later. That should never happen in a system dealing with people in a vulnerable situation like those we are dealing with in Donegal and throughout the country.

My question is simple: what safeguards are in place to ensure no other person in the scheme will be told they have secured full remediation only for the decision to be withdrawn the next day as an administrative error? That level of failure is simply unacceptable. This is meant to be the biggest scheme in the history of the State but the failures are starting to show up day after day.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I have made inquiries. The issue he raised did happen. It is unacceptable from my perspective, particularly given the enormity of the issue for the individual householder concerned, that she should have received two emails with completely opposite positions on the one day. My understanding is that the chair of the board accepts that an error was made and that it should not have occurred, and is immediately instituting a change in the process by which communications are issued to ensure it will not be made again. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has asked that the chair immediately meet officials in his Department to ensure the process is robust and that errors of this nature do not occur again.

The Department itself does not process the appeals, as the Deputy knows. He is not questioning that. The Department passes them on to the Housing Agency. The appeals board is separate from the Housing Agency and the Department and is chaired by a senior counsel. The error should not have happened, particularly in the context of about 3,500 applications having been made to the scheme to date. Good progress has been made to date, with approximately 500 homes already fully remediated and approximately 750 having works done right now. It is a large scheme but that in itself does not excuse what occurred. The authorities concerned need to focus on how decisions are communicated to applicants, particularly where there is a question mark or appeal process under way, given that it will be a question of whether full demolition or remediation is required and whether better forms of communication, other than email, should be part of how things are done.

The Deputy is correct in saying the scheme is one of the biggest in the State. About €300 million has already been provided to assist homeowners, with an average grant of approximately €350,000. This has been communicated. The Deputy's point is well made. Everybody must now ensure that the error is not made again.

Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party)
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I thank the Taoiseach for that. I have another issue regarding IS 465. We were told the revised IS 465 was due in April or May but now we are heading towards June. The scheme is meant to be the biggest in the history of the State. It has been delayed and delayed. Will the revised version of IS 465 be published in June? The Tánaiste could tell me on the last occasion that publication would be within weeks and now I am asking the Taoiseach, some five or six weeks later, whether he can tell me whether the revised IS 465 will be published in June.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have to defer to the Minister. I will ask him to communicate with the Deputy directly in respect of the matter. I am always loath to give precise timelines on behalf of other Ministers but I will make sure that this is followed up because commitments have been given on it. We will make sure that it gets done.

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)
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There was a meeting of the Joint Committee on Health this morning. Members of the hospital group, including Sandra Broderick, and Mr. Mike Ahearne of the HSE are in the Gallery.

I acknowledge the work they have been doing within the hospital sector in Limerick. They will be looking forward to the new hospital and the new wing. Is there a timeline for that?. Will it be a design-build project? Patient safety is a huge thing. One of the cases in UHL, which I have brought up in the House on many occasions, was that of Jessica Sheedy. That case has gone to the High Court. I would not like to see any other family going through something like that. Her case has been brought up on many occasions. The inquiry is ongoing.

When are we getting a new hospital in Limerick? When are we getting the new extension in Limerick? When are we going to have a hospital of excellence that will be located at the side of a motorway and accessible not only for people in Limerick but also those in Tipperary, Clare and all the other areas. We need access, which we do not have to children's hospital at the moment. It is hard to get to. At least there was a small bit of forward thinking about where the new hospital will go in Limerick. I welcome that from the point of view of patient safety for the people in all the counties who will be going to the hospital. I want to make sure that happens. I do not want it delayed for years and find that we are talking about it again in five or ten years' time. I hope the lessons have been learnt from the last hospital and that it will be a design-build project that will be delivered on budget and on time. That is what a design-build does. It means that it is factored in by whatever contractor takes it on that they take the risk. The Government has control of the risk and the contractor takes the risk. Design-build means delivery on budget and on time. Otherwise, we do not have it and the contractor does not make money. I am okay with that, once it is built on time. That means we have patient safety. We can then have the people who have left these shores back home to Ireland. We can tell them they are going to be a part of a good news story for the Munster region because we will have a hospital in which they can excel and provide patient safety across this country. That is the goal here. I want to ensure that we have it. Is there a timeline for this project? When will the diggers be on site? When will the hospital be delivered?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising what is an important issue for people in the mid-west more generally. I acknowledge that the Deputy has acknowledged some progress in respect of developments in health services in the mid-west. He paid tribute to the chief executive officer and the team there at UHL regarding that progress, which was needed. We need to continue to work to enhance services, particularly the quality of services, and best outcomes, and, in particular, to ensure that patient safety will always be at the centre of everything that is done. The first principle of medicine is not to do any harm. That is something clinicians, and indeed everybody else involved in the administration of a hospital, must always have uppermost in their minds.

The 90-bed block that was built recently was delivered on time and within budget. We need to acknowledge that. A lot of infrastructure is, by the way, but, understandably in the context of accountability, it is the ones that are not that get the headlines. We are confident that the next 90-bed block will also come in on budget and on time. The contract has already been awarded for that. That is crucial and critical.

The Minister will shortly be establishing a project board to deal with health services not just in the context of a new hospital in Limerick but the broader health services for the mid-west. Ennis and Nenagh hospitals will need more services. One has to look at the entirety of the hospital campuses in the mid-west in order to get the optimal outcome. We have seen that in the north east. We have seen that in terms of some of the hospital groups whereby the utilisation of other hospitals, apart from the tertiary centre, has been advantageous to patients, with access to outpatient clinics or endoscopy, or a variety of diagnostic facilities and so on. That complements the work that takes place in the acute hospitals or tertiary hospitals. The objective of the project board that the Minister will establish is to get the complete picture for the entirety of the mid-west. Deputies from Clare and Tipperary are very focused on that aspect, as well as on developing a new hospital. The good news is that a site has been secured. As we all, including the Deputy, know, if you are building anything, a school or anything else, securing a site is key and can help us to accelerate the deliberations in respect of it. The objective is to have the best, state-of-the-art services to cater for a population in the mid-west that is going to continue to grow,

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)
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I have already acknowledged the Minister in the context of the work that is being done in Limerick. We went through a very bad spell. The initial hospital of excellence was brought up in 2009. The people involved are no longer in the HSE, but they downsized Nenagh, Ennis and St. John's Hospital. It is great that the Taoiseach has acknowledged that the reverse needs to happen. That was one of the first things I said when I was elected six years ago. We need to ensure investment in health services. The Taoiseach has acknowledged that investment needs to go in there again.

I acknowledge the work that has been done to date. It is refreshing to have the Minister in place. We have that now. We have good people in good places who want to get good things done, so let us get them done. Let us work together and get it done. I do not mind who does the job once it is done. At the moment, it is being done but I need to make sure that we have the timelines, that there is delivery and that we ensure patient safety. I acknowledge that the Taoiseach has said that Nenagh, Ennis and those areas need investment.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have always been a strong advocate for investment in Nenagh, Ennis and Clonmel-----

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)
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Good man.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----which has benefited from significant investment, but that is in a different area from Nenagh and Ennis, which is part of the mid-west provision of services.

The most recent 90-bed block was delivered on time. Along with the investment, we need constant reform as to how we provide services. There has been a lot of investment in health services in the past five years, which needs to be acknowledged. There has to be a relentless focus on outcomes from that investment and quality of patient care. Things have changed. Clinicians are changing practices all the time and advancing technologies, mechanisms, methodologies and so on to improve efficiency all round. The Deputy can be assured that we are focused, and the Minister is, in particular, on timely delivery of the next commitments, particularly the 90-bed block that we want delivered on time and within budget.