Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming back on the winter initiative. No one should have to endure what patients and staff have to endure at the accident and emergency department in Limerick. The Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, has been there. The new accident and emergency department will be on stream in May 2017. I hope that the beds recently closed at St. John's Hospital will be reopened as quickly as possible in order to alleviate pressure.

I will be writing to the Minister for Health and the chief executive of the HSE, Tony O'Brien. I will urge them to fast-track the seed money to allow the design work to be done for the facilities relating to the 96 acute beds, which are critical for the region. We cannot have a situation whereby we have fewer than half of the beds that Cork University Hospital has while having a greater number of accident and emergency admissions. In fact, we have the largest number in the country.