Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator O'Donnell for this important and timely question. The Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, has asked me to convey his apologies to the Senator because he cannot be here. He has a prior engagement to which he is committed today. If he could have come back for this, he would have done so.

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on this matter. The emergency department at University Hospital Limerick is one of the busiest in the country with over 60,000 attendances annually.