Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I raise two issues, both of which the Leader has heard me raise in the past. One is University Hospital Limerick. There were 111 people on trolleys there yesterday. This day last week, there were 125 people on trolleys. It is unbelievable. Nothing has happened and things are not improving. Huge money has been thrown at the hospital and things are now at a critical stage. Many of the elective surgeries that were due to happen in the hospital today and tomorrow have been cancelled. The situation will be revisited on Monday to determine whether some surgeries can be rescheduled. While a wonderful job is being done in St. John's, Nenagh and Ennis, the situation is not acceptable because many people are dependent on these surgeries and reviews. I raised this issue with the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, when I met him recently. It is something that needs to be resolved not only for Limerick but the mid-west.

Yesterday, in the absence of the Leader, I raised the issue of the Limerick Shannon metropolitan district review of public transport.The Government in the past has invested huge money in the northern distributor road. The road is three-quarters built. The other part of the road has disappeared from the review. It is a road linking Moyross to the Clare side, which would bypass the University of Limerick and complete the northern distributor road and the outer ring road of Limerick. This road is necessary for businesses to start to thrive in the city centre. There is investment in enhancing public transport, trains and buses, and I do not question that. Everybody is in support of public transport. However, to build three-quarters of a road and for the rest of the road to disappear is not acceptable. I ask the Leader to write to the Minister for Transport of her support in relation to this. My understanding is that it was through intervention from the Department that the road disappeared.