Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I raise the situation at University Hospital Limerick, UHL, which I raise regularly. For two days in a row, all procedures at the hospital had to be cancelled. On "Morning Ireland" today, Mr. Bernard Gloster said that what was going on at the hospital was not acceptable. He questioned how financial resources were spent. This was a very strong message to hear. I pay tribute to the staff and people who use the hospital. It is a safe place to go and people are very well looked after when they go there but there is an ongoing negative narrative about the hospital. Having a backlog and procedures being cancelled is not sending the right message. People are afraid. The Leader said yesterday that the Minister for Health hoped to come to the Chamber soon. That debate cannot happen soon enough. We need a fresh pair of eyes to look at the issue. This is not the first time I have said we need to bring in someone from the outside. I will keep banging the drum with this request.

The legislation for a directly elected mayor of Limerick was signed by the President last night. I thank all of my colleagues for passing this legislation. It is an exciting time for Limerick. The legislation will set the tone for other directly elected mayors. Now that it is in place, we need to move forward. I wish all candidates for mayor the best of luck.