Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

I have an important question. The last line of the response of the Minister of State, where she comments that Waterford Regional Hospital will continue to be a vital component in the delivery of health services across the south east, does not go far enough. It should be the lead component. It is the regional hospital serving an entire region. It is not just a vital component, which is true of any hospital. The Minister of State referred to the resources and investment in cardiology. We lost a leading consultant in cardiology last year because resources were not allocated. When will the cardiology unit in Waterford Regional Hospital be properly resourced in order that it can provide a 24/7 emergency service, as any regional hospital should provide? It is not doing so at present. I appeal to the Minister of State to take the HSE into hand. If we cannot get it, at least the Minister and departmental officials should secure full accountability from the Health Service Executive lead teams which are managing reconfiguration of the service.