Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I understand the point made by the Senator and his anxiety about accident and emergency consultant hours at Mercy University Hospital. The reply I was given clearly outlines that funding has been made available and that the HSE is in the process of providing another consultant, be it through Cork University Hospital or Mercy University Hospital. I will relay the Senator's concerns to the Minister, particularly in respect of the numbers, which I believe are very high. Money has been provided to community care, particularly home help service and the provision of facilities to allow people to go back to their homes and communities. I understand the Senator's frustration that the reply did not specifically outline the urgent need to appoint more consultants given the cover provided at present to Mercy University Hospital. I will relay his concerns and the matters he raised to the Minister.