Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I raise this matter because it is of significant importance in County Clare. I was on the way to Dublin on Tuesday while I listened to local radio. An independent councillor for whom I would have much regard in County Clare, Councillor Ann Norton, relayed her experience in the accident and emergency unit in University Hospital Limerick, where her daughter had been a patient. She outlined a series of events that were very worrying. The Government and the Minister have invested significantly, particularly capital investment, in trying to deal with the ongoing challenges people face in the accident and emergency unit in University Hospital Limerick. The Government has opened a new unit in Limerick at a cost of more than €20 million to try to deal with the problem of people waiting on trolleys, etc. It was very disappointing to hear of Councillor Norton's experience with her daughter, as well as the experience of others who have approached me in recent times to say that people are on trolleys for significant periods at the hospital accident and emergency department. The Government has made an investment in excess of €20 million but the problem persists.

After the Government and Minister have invested such money to deal with the problem, why are we in this position in Limerick, with people on hospital trolleys waiting to be dealt with? Is there another issue of which people are not aware? Perhaps there is a management issue. I tabled this matter because I am very concerned about what is happening in Limerick. It affects not only people in Limerick but those who live in north and south Tipperary, as well as County Clare.