Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is positive news to think we are probably eight weeks away from having the surgeon that is required to have these two theatres up and running. This issue has been around since 2017, as the Minister of State said. To think we are coming to the endgame is important. The endgame is that we have a date and a time. We have the infrastructure and now we have a date on which it is going to open. That is a positive step forward for the people of the Cork-Kerry region. If we can have those theatres up and running in the next eight or ten weeks, there will be a significant change in the service in the region.

Following that, in May 2023, which is only a few weeks later, the outpatients department will open. That is a positive step. I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to come to the Chamber. It has been a positive morning and this is real progress on an issue that has dogged our region for so long.