Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted that the procurement process for the design team is ongoing and that it is expected it will be appointed in the first quarter of 2018. This cannot happen quickly enough. I worry that sometimes when the HSE is involved there can be blockages. We must ensure that there are no blockages and that this progresses as quickly as possible.

The HSE has also advised that the hospital is experiencing traffic congestion and parking difficulties and that solutions will be addressed as part of the planning application for the rehabilitation unit. All the doomsayers over the years said Roscommon hospital would be closed. Now we have a problem with parking because the hospital is so busy. It has become a major employer. It provides employment for up to 400 people in a town of about 6,000 or 7,000. Roscommon hospital is busier and safer than ever. More than 400 people work there. My job as a public representative is about safeguarding the hospital's future and protecting local jobs and, most importantly, patient safety. Hundreds of people are alive today because of the air ambulance and what has happened in Roscommon over the past six years.