I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, to Seanad Éireann and thank him for coming in.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Road Network
Tá fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit ar ais chuig an Teach seo ar maidin. The Minister of State is welcome back to the Chamber this morning. I thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to be here. I would like to discuss the chronic need for additional funding for local and regional roads in counties Cavan and Monaghan. This is despite the fact that last year record funding in excess of €19 million was allocated to County Cavan and over €18 million was allocated to County Monaghan. That was a €1.75 million increase on the previous year, but unfortunately, that increase has been eaten up by inflation. Therefore, fewer kilometres are being done for the allocation, which is very disappointing.
The problem, as the Minister of State would know well, coming from a rural constituency himself, is that Cavan and Monaghan are totally dependent on the local roads. The local and regional roads are the arteries of the lifeblood of the local communities from a social perspective and from a business and economic perspective.
Both counties are very well known for their entrepreneurial spirit. There are many small businesses located up small boreens but in order for them to get their product to market, the only show in town is the local and regional road network. Those roads are vitally important to the local communities. Unfortunately, we have not had a train service to both counties since the 1950s and we are totally dependent on the road network. That is why it is vital that the allocations are increased.
As I outlined earlier, even though the allocations were increased in the last number of years, when inflation is factored in there are fewer kilometres getting done for those allocations. On top of that, there has been a level of historical underfunding going back a long number of years and that is coming home to roost now. The road network is in a terrible state in County Monaghan. I must commend the roads department of the local authority there for its work in this area. Likewise, I commend the local councillors for being very vociferous on this particular issue. They understand the chronic need for additional funding for local and regional roads. The council conducted a survey which found that the density of quality roads in Monaghan was the second worst in the country. We have more kilometres than most other counties because of our drumlins. This problem is very much unique to Monaghan and Cavan.
I have discussed this issue with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on numerous occasions. I met him again yesterday and stressed the importance of an additional allocation for local and regional roads. I sincerely hope that when the allocations are announced in early January, that will be the case. I also mentioned the Ardee to Castleblaney road to the Minister when I met him. As the Minister of State knows, it is a very dangerous roadway and we are looking for funding to progress that, as well as additional funding to progress a bypass for Monaghan town which is choked with traffic every day of the week. We are hoping that both of those projects will be recognised, as well as the chronic need for additional funding for local and regional roads when the allocations are made in the first couple of weeks of January.
I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this important issue. I know of his interest in the road infrastructure in the counties that he knows best, Cavan and Monaghan. He is a regular contributor, both here in the House and within the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party, on this issue. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is unavailable today. He has asked me to convey his apologies to Senator Gallagher and to assure him that he will continue to engage with him on this.
The Senator's question relates to the funding provided to local authorities for the maintenance of regional and local roads, particularly in the Cavan and Monaghan area. As the Senator is aware and as outlined in the 2025 regional and local roads programme, the Government is strongly committed to protecting the existing road network. It is important to highlight that the improvement and maintenance of the regional and local road network is the statutory responsibility of the local authorities in accordance with the Roads Act 1993. Works on these roads are funded from the council's own resources and are supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the local authority. As a former member of the local authority, I am sure Senator Gallagher is working with officials there to identify the priorities. Of these grants, the vast majority are targeted at the maintenance and renewal of the existing network, with the limited remaining funding invested in new roads and bridges or in road realignment, which is important from a road safety perspective and a way of reducing deaths and injuries on our roads. Unfortunately, we have seen a considerable spike in deaths and injuries on our roads but hopefully that is a spike and not a trend.
There has been a significant increase in Exchequer funding in recent years, with an investment of €713 million in our regional and local roads this year. This represents an increase of 25% in funding when compared to 2021. The Senator makes the valid point that while the funding is increasing, costs are also increasing, so a 25% increase in funding is not yielding a commensurate increase in the kilometres of road covered. That is a well-made point and I will certainly bring it back to the Department and the Minister.
Due to the pressures on the regional and local road network, the primary focus of investment is on the protection and renewal of the regional and local road network, which plays a critical role in supporting economic and community links throughout the country. The main regional and local road grant programmes are targeted at specific policy objectives, namely, pavement sealing to protect the road surface from water damage through restoration maintenance grants, and road strengthening based on pavement condition rating to lengthen the life of road pavements through restoration improvement grants. There is also a discretionary grant which allows for a range of activities, including pothole repairs, edge strengthening, renewal of signs and lines and winter maintenance. These three grant programmes account for most of the grant funding and are allocated based primarily on the length of the road network in a particular local authority area. It is envisaged that grants will continue to be made available on this basis as it is the most equitable approach.
In 2025, Cavan County Council received an allocation of €19,193,150, which is an increase of €1,752,840 on its 2024 allocation, and Monaghan County Council received an allocation of €18,008,350, which is an increase of €1,751,255. In addition to funding allocations under the main regional and local road grant programmes, Monaghan County Council has received funding of €4,084,278 since 2020 and Cavan County Council received funding of €912,058 in 2024 for a number of pilot schemes relating to road materials. Further allocations have been provided for both councils in 2025.
Following a mid-year review of regional and local road grant programme expenditure, local authorities were notified of an additional allocation of €10 million for their restoration improvement programmes. Cavan County Council received an allocation of €311,000 and Monaghan County Council received an allocation of €262,500. I know that Senator Gallagher was very involved in pushing to get that additional money for those two councils. He has had success so far and hopefully that will continue. This additional funding was welcomed by local authorities and was fully expended by year end.
It should be noted that Exchequer funding for regional and local roads is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources. As the statutory road authorities for their areas, it is open to local authorities to prioritise investment towards regional and local roads.
Before I call Senator Gallagher to respond, I welcome guests of Senator McCarthy to the Public Gallery.
I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive response. As I said, the council conducted a survey recently on the quality of the roads in County Monaghan and 24% were found to be in the worst possible category. This clearly proves that there is a chronic need for additional funding for local and regional roads. That report is with the Department and I also mentioned it to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I hope the Minister of State will convey to the Minister that there is a chronic need in both Monaghan and Cavan for additional road funding. I sincerely hope that the earnest request from me, county councillors and the council executives in both Monaghan and Cavan does not fall on deaf ears.
I listened intently to the contribution of the Senator and will certainly report his views back to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. He has rightly identified that there is strong demand from the people he represents, as well as from the county councillors in the area. It is always a good sign when the local authorities work with councillors to identify the priorities. I do not want to state the obvious but there is always a pie which must be split in so many different ways. Where there is an element of unanimity in terms of identifying the roads that are in greatest need, that works well and it is important to relay that to the Department and the Minister. I have found from experience in my own county that while one would like to get it all done in the first year, if one picks the priorities and works through them over five or six years, one gets a hell of a lot of work done. Cavan and Monaghan have been very successful in that regard in recent years. When I was just a young lad there was always talk of potholes in Cavan and Monaghan. Indeed, I think the people there even elected a pothole candidate but we have moved on from those dark days, thankfully, because of people like Senator Gallagher and others who have championed the cause and have done such good work in representing the area and ensuring, rightly, that it gets its fair share of funding. I am sure that will continue with the Senator's continued assistance.
Lobbying Reform
I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I know he probably had a late night last night. It is interesting to hear him talk about his memories when he was young. Like myself, they must be quite hazy at this stage.
Last week, the extensive lobbying efforts on behalf of several multinational giants by the consulting firm Teneo were revealed. Leaked documents showed the massive efforts these companies and their lobbyists put into gutting EU laws that would have enhanced corporate accountability. It seems pointless that the Government will come out with reports and statements on the work it is doing on the environment when it continually buckles under the pressure from multinational giants. This legislation would have required large companies to tackle human rights abuses and environmental harm in their company chains and to report on their businesses' environmental impacts. They were successful in quashing these rules and the European Parliament and Council both voted this week to take the side of corporate profit over working people and the environment. All Fine Gael, Independent Ireland and most Fianna Fáil MEPs voted to take the corporate line on this, with only Sinn Féin and Luke 'Ming' Flanagan voting against.
We know for a fact that these lobbies targeted Irish MEPs, the Irish Government and the Irish EU Commissioner on this issue to make sure that big business got its way. What we do not know yet is which MEPs, Commissioners and Ministers met with these lobbyists on this particular issue and whether they supported them in rolling back the rules. Did any Government Minister meet with lobbyists or representatives from ExxonMobil, Hanover Communications or Enterprise Mobility in relation to omnibus legislation? Furthermore, did the Irish Government this week support the position of these companies by voting through the deregulation in the European Council?
I thank Senator Andrews for raising this important issue and his wishes in relation to our late-night meetings. It was always good fun when I used to sit either behind or beside him. We often had good fun in those days but we have it here too.
I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to the Seanad today and I thank Senator Andrews for raising this matter, which I know is of significant importance to him. He and his late dad were great champions of so many international issues and I am pleased to see that he continues in that vein. On this issue, I take it that the Senator is referring to the omnibus on sustainability published in March 2025 and in particular to those elements relating to the corporate sustainability due diligence directive, CSDDD, and the corporate sustainability reporting directive, CSRD.
lreland supports the ongoing efforts to enhance the EU regulatory framework and welcomes the ongoing focus on ensuring that legislation is fit for purpose, with due regard to administrative and reporting burdens and with a particular focus on the impacts on smaller companies. The reform agenda is being strongly driven by EU leaders. The European Council has called for a simplification revolution by ensuring a clear, simple and smart regulatory framework for businesses, reducing administrative, regulatory and reporting burdens, and avoiding over-regulation and the introduction of administrative burdens throughout the legislative process.
Since the publication of the omnibus on sustainability, officials from the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, both in Dublin and Brussels, have engaged with a range of stakeholders concerning this proposal. These include meetings with civil society organisations and business representatives, including a recent meeting with the Irish Coalition for Business and Human Rights. The Minister, Deputy Burke, met with the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland, BPFI, last July at its request to discuss the CSRD. In September, the Minister, Deputy Burke, also spoke at an event hosted by Hanover Communications, attended by a number of representative bodies and companies, including IBEC, the American Chamber of Commerce, the Irish Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association, BPFl, Meta, Medtronic, Bristol Myers Squibb, JP Morgan and Enterprise Mobility, where the Minister provided an overview of the omnibus proposal. The Minister has not met with Teneo.
It is important to recognise that the omnibus on sustainability proposal is about finding an appropriate balance between obligations on business and ensuring adequate protections for the environment and those impacted by the operations of the companies. Negotiating positions were agreed at Council in June and by the European Parliament in November. Trilogue negotiations commenced in early December and concluded last week. We look forward to prompt adoption of the proposal at an early date in 2026.
The measures in relation to the CSRD will streamline, simplify and reduce reporting requirements. In regard to the CSDDD, in-scope companies will, for the first time, have legal obligations to conduct risk-based human rights and environmental due diligence and integrate due diligence into all corporate policies and risk management systems.
I am very concerned by the level of lobbying at EU level and how decisions are all too often being made behind closed doors without any real democratic input or transparency. Those with money should not be the ones who write our laws and regulations and I find it very disappointing that the Irish Government is unwilling to stand up for workers' rights and the environment when it goes against corporate interests.
It is interesting that the Minister has met Hanover Communications. Will the Minister of State clarify whether the Minister has met with ExxonMobil or Enterprise Mobility in regard to the omnibus legislation? It is about ensuring that the giant multinationals are held to account, that there is transparency, that the lobbying they undertake is clear and that people are aware of what lobbying they are doing and who they are doing it with. It is disappointing that the Government is willing to engage with the pressure from these multinationals and support them.
The information available to me is, as I mentioned in the opening contribution, that the Minister, Deputy Burke, spoke at an event hosted by Hanover Communications, where he outlined the overview of the omnibus proposal. I understand Enterprise Mobility was there. I have no information in relation to ExxonMobil but I would be happy that the Department will come back to the Senator directly to answer that specific question.
I wish to make a broader point on lobbying. Of course it can be misconstrued, but I think it is incumbent on all of us, no matter what role we hold in public office, to listen to all sides. I have had the pleasure of being a public representative for 24 or 25 years now and I am just recently in this role. Throughout that time, I have met people of all creeds, colours and diversity in society - people from NGOs and large corporations - who have their own agenda. Some of it is profit-driven and some of it is an appreciation for human rights and the environment. I would like to think that, in a democratic environment, people can put their point forward. It is for all of us in public office to use our best judgment to establish what is right and wrong in relation to a particular directive. What this is about, to me, is a simplification process. It is about reducing the burden on companies where the regulation is overly burdensome and sometimes unnecessary. We all talk about. Farmers and small businesses talk about it. It is putting a burden on them to the extent that they are not able to get on with their business in a respectful way, continue to employ people and provide the ability for communities to have that employment.
I take the Senator's point about big companies. It is incumbent on all of us-----
The Government votes with them.
-----to be cautious. If we make a decision, it should not be that we are necessarily influenced by the large corporations. Sometimes we vote the other way too, where we have reflected on it and it is in the best interest of the wider community. I thank the Senator for his interest.
Water Charges
I thank the Minister of State for being with us here today. It is much appreciated. The issue I am raising relates to the Irish Water connection fee, particularly where it concerns community groups and voluntary organisations. I am seeking that the connection fee they currently have to pay would be reviewed and waived.
The situation at the moment, which I appreciate is not necessarily a common, everyday situation, is that if a community organisation seeks a connection to Irish Water, it is charged a commercial rate. There is no waiver or reduction taking account of the fact that they are not-for-profit and volunteer-led organisations. This may not be something that happens on a very regular basis, but when it does happen, it has detrimental effects on these groups. In particular, I am speaking today on behalf of Rylane Community Park Association, which is a community group in my own parish of Aghabullogue in Cork North-West.
It is a group I have worked very closely with for the past six years.
Rylane is a village of 600 people. We set up a group in 2016 to build a hub for the community. So far, we have delivered an astroturf facility, a playground and a soccer pitch. We were fortunate last year that we were allocated €1.6 million under the community centre investment fund. Since 2016, this group has been awarded over €2.2 million in grants and since that time as well it has raised €420,000 in fundraising. As I said, that is from a village of 600 people. We are currently building our community hub. As I said, we got €1.6 million for it. We have to raise a further 10%, which is €200,000. It is difficult but under control. It was with great surprise and shock, though, that this group was hit with a bill from Irish Water for €69,500 for a connection fee. That is money the group simply does not have. It is very disappointing to see that the way this fee is calculated is that there is a fixed and commercial rate and it is based on the diameter of the pipe being used. It has nothing to do with the actual or projected usage or the length of pipe required. It is simply to do with the diameter of the pipe. For a group of this size to be facing a charge of €69,500 seems absolutely ludicrous. To add insult to injury, the group received this letter of offer in September. The initial letter of offer, received in August, was for €259,000, because it was being proposed at that point that a larger pipe was needed.
We need to hold Irish Water accountable here. It makes no sense that a commercial rate fee is being applied to these volunteer-led community organisations. In budget 2026 alone, €1.45 billion was allocated to Irish Water. We need some bit of accountability and transparency when it comes to Irish Water, the way in which it communicates and the reasons behind these fees because it does not make sense to me.
I thank Senator Lynch for raising this important issue. Most of us know of the Senator's reputation in terms of the work she does with communities and the approach she has to trying to get support from various State agencies to work alongside local fundraising. I know from personal experience just how difficult it can be then to have to provide from a group's own resources for something that should, potentially, be waived. The Minister, Deputy James Browne, cannot be here, unfortunately, and he has asked me to convey his sorrow in that regard.
He has also asked me to set out that the statutory position in relation to water charges for non-domestic customers of Uisce Éireann is set out in the Water Services Acts 2007 to 2017, as amended. Irish Water, now Uisce Éireann, became responsible for the provision of public water services with effect from 1 January 2014 and is required under the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 to collect charges from its non-domestic customers in receipt of water services. Water charges in respect of domestic customers are funded from the Exchequer through the budgetary provision in respect of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The Act also provides that responsibility for the independent economic regulation of the water sector is assigned to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, and the CRU has been given statutory responsibility for protecting the interests of customers. The CRU, as the independent economic regulator, determines an economically efficient level of allowed revenue to be recovered by Uisce Éireann annually, from non-domestic customers, over a particular number of years. When approving an allowed revenue for the period, the CRU seeks to drive cost efficiencies and improve services delivered to customers. In advance of considering tariffs, the CRU will engage in a consultation period and seek submissions, a process it completed during summer 2025. The CRU recognises that affordability is a significant issue for non-domestic customers, but it is required to have regard to the need for Uisce Éireann to operate in a commercially viable manner. This is where the issue lies. It with this requirement by law that Uisce Éireann must operate for non-domestic customers in this way, and it is very rigid in that regard. No provision was made in the legislation that would allow for fees to be waived in relation to community facilities or charitable entities.
The only exemption from charges provided for under the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 is in relation to water services provided to fire authorities. All non-domestic customers, including schools, sports clubs, community groups, not-for-profit organisations and charities, were initially transferred to Irish Water under their existing charging agreement with their local authority with no changes, as instructed by the CRU. The CRU has since determined a standardised set of tariffs applied to all non-domestic customers nationwide. Tariffs exist to ensure the recovery of the costs of providing water services, including environmental and resource costs. This is in accordance with Article 9 of the European Union water framework directive and thereby helps towards securing reliable, efficient and sustainable water services.
Uisce Éireann has a strong customer service focus through its water charges plan and customer charter, which outlines the standard of service customers should expect to receive. However, implementation of the water charges plan is a matter in the first instance for Uisce Éireann. Of course, any issues that cannot be resolved by Uisce Éireann to the satisfaction of the customer can be referred under the formal complaints process to CRU.
I welcome a group of students and staff from Scoil San Treasa, Mount Merrion, who are guests of Deputy Shay Brennan. They are all very welcome and I hope they are enjoying their tour. The tradition here is that students do not get any homework today. They do not have any homework today or, even better, tomorrow. I call Senator Lynch.
I thank the Minister of State very much for the reply. I appreciate this matter does not fall under his Department, so I thank him again. I note the contents of the reply, and I know the background to Uisce Éireann and Irish Water and all of that. I understand it and the importance of water as a resource and the need for it to be financed. The reply, however, is incredibly disappointing because, to me, it does not seem to be that there is any wriggle room there at all in terms of reviewing this matter, and that is what I am looking for. It is insane for a group of the size of the one I am talking about to be paying €69,500. This could potentially make a €2 million project fall to the ground. We are not unique in this regard because there are other cases like this all around the country. As I said, though, they are not everyday occurrences. There is even the use of language in respect of the term, "non-domestic customers". We are being charged a commercial rate for what is not a commercial entity. Regarding all the examples given in terms of non-domestic customers, including schools, sports clubs, community groups, not-for-profit organisations and charities, where do companies and commercial entities fall in? All the non-domestic customer examples given were, generally, not-for-profit entities.
I note too that initially when those groups were transferred to Irish Water there were no charges, and then a fixed tariff was set up. Where are we getting these figures from and where is the breakdown coming from? It is actually very difficult to get that information from Irish Water. I would really appreciate if the Minister of State could raise this matter further with the Minister.
I thank the Senator again for her very insightful comments on the response provided by the Department. Of course, I will feed her thoughts and comments back. The Government does recognise the importance of community groups and not-for-profits and acknowledges the social good these organisations deliver every day in our towns, cities and rural areas. The Exchequer continues to provide funding to Uisce Éireann for domestic customers, and non-domestic customers are required to contribute towards the cost of providing their water services. The necessary reality is that delivering water services and investing in improving existing services is very costly.
I would make a point, however, that might be considered. The regulations are as they are. As the Senator identified, Irish Water is there and it has guidance from the CRU in terms of its recovery of the costs. In many cases, as the Senator said, these are entities receiving State support. It might be worth looking, as a Senator, at a Private Members' Bill to review the legislation and review the way in which water services are provided to community groups or charities generally and to put some work into that. I am sure the Department would engage with the Senator. Having had the pleasure of having spent a few years in here, I know how proposals can come forward. It might not be exactly as the Senator would wish it to be, but it is a way for her to engage in the drafting of a Private Members' Bill with the support of her colleagues and to tease out some of the facts. It is not going to happen for the entity in the Senator's area on this occasion, but it may be that over time the Senator's work would be able to feed into a change in approach. I just mention that as something worth looking at.
Hospital Facilities
The Minister is very welcome back to the House. I thank her for coming in to take my questions on this matter. She knows, as we all do, the importance of this issue for the mid-west. At the outset, I thank her for the wonderful news she gave us yesterday. We have had many sad days in healthcare in the mid-west, but yesterday was really positive. It is very important that we remember all the people who lost their lives prematurely while in University Hospital Limerick, UHL. I am conscious that this week is the third anniversary of Aoife Johnston’s death. I want to acknowledge those who lost their lives.
I thank the Minister for putting her shoulder to the wheel and taking on what is the most important challenge for those of us in the mid-west. When we last spoke in the House on 27 November, we discussed the HIQA report and acknowledged that it laid bare for all to see that the problems that have been accumulating in accident and emergency care in the mid-west are caused by a chronic shortage of acute inpatient beds in UHL. The Minister may not be aware that this put to bed an ongoing local debate about the root causes of the problems we were experiencing with the emergency department. It was important that the report highlighted that inpatient acute bed care is what we require.
While I welcome the Minister’s other commitment yesterday to provide additional beds in Nenagh, Ennis and St. John’s hospitals, I want to flag that those are not actually acute inpatient beds.
I do understand.
That distinction matters if we are to be clear and direct with the public about what is required to make UHL safe.
I welcome the Minister’s commitment to maximise the use of space on the current site at Dooradoyle, option A, in tandem with identifying a nearby adjacent site for the extension of services at UHL, option B.
I just have three questions. Does the Minister envisage the relocation of the maternity hospital on the Ennis Road in Limerick to option B, the second site adjacent to Dooradoyle under the governance of UHL? That would be in line with the long-standing objective of full colocation of maternity services and acute hospital care. The very welcome announcement in the media yesterday did not specify the provision of a second emergency department for the region. I acknowledge that the Minister has said she will proceed with option C. Given the scale of population growth and the level of existing demand in the mid-west, will the Minister clarify whether she envisages a second emergency department as part of option C?
This morning, Oireachtas colleagues from across the mid-west have been responding to yesterday's welcome announcement. Queries are arising in the context of funding. The national development plan, NDP, envelope which the Minister announced last week may not support fully funding the scale of investment needed across the mid-west. Will the Minister provide clarity on where funding for these projects will come from?
We did discuss the report in November. I knew then the approach I would be taking. I am very pleased to have spoken to the Cabinet about that first, as was appropriate, and to have secured its support for the approach I want to take, which is to implement all three options in the HIQA report and to meet the need for additional acute bed capacity and healthcare capacity more broadly across the mid-west.
As Senator Ryan said, we are progressing with options A, B and C. Option A is the delivery of acute beds at the site. I thank the Senator for explaining it, but, as Minister for Health, I do understand the difference between acute and non-acute beds. I also understand the need for non-acute beds in Ennis and Nenagh in the context of step-down services and as a key component of flow, which, the Senator will understand, is something that Limerick has improved enormously over the period during which I have been Minister for Health. I thank those responsible for their excellent management and I thank the staff for the extraordinary work they are doing.
UHL is one of the busiest hospitals in the country, but it is also the one that is discharging best at weekends. It has the best level of consultant rostering at weekends, which is a consequence of the implementation of the reforms we have introduced in the past 12 years. There is no point in putting additional acute beds into Limerick if we do not put non-acute beds in other locations, particularly as this will allow us to move people out of those acute beds and move them to services somewhere closer to home. That is the essence of Sláintecare, and that is how patient flow works. I am sure the Senator will welcome all those things happening at the same time, particularly as they are codependent in the context of allowing patient flow to work.
The second question was on the location of the maternity unit and the second emergency department. Our priority is to secure an appropriate site in relation to option B, as mandated by the Government, and to consider all of our options in respect of option C. The best, most appropriate structure to do that is to consider it alongside the best clinical advice possible. I will be engaging with clinicians on the best way to structure that going forward once we have secured an appropriate site and have seen what flexibility that will give us as regards options A and B and the appropriate clinical distribution of the services across the two sites. I will take the clinical advice in relation to that, as I am sure, will the Senator, and put it at the centre of future development.
We have a huge opportunity in the mid-west to do something we really have not had the chance to do with many other hospitals, which is to have a genuine fresh start. I have spoken to health ministers from around the world, including when I was at the G20 summit, from Singapore, Indonesia and Norway about the different perspectives and what they are learning about how to design hospitals best, the right size, the best clinical distribution. I hope we and the people of the mid-west will be beneficiaries of the fact that we have a genuine opportunity to think quite differently. The clinical community will be at the heart of that as will the patient forum and public representatives. We will take the best clinical advice we can as to how to distribute services across the Limerick region and the mid-west more broadly. It is as important for the people of Limerick as it is for the people of Clare that more services are delivered away from UHL and in Ennis. That is why full understanding of integrated care for the region is as important for the people of central Limerick as it is for the people of Clare. Everything that is delivered appropriately in Clare releases capacity for the over-congested site that is Dooradoyle and all the traffic implications for the people of Limerick and the need to move care in appropriate ways elsewhere. However, the first and most important thing is that we now have Cabinet approval and a plan. I have mandated the HSE to get the appropriate site.
On funding, I ask the Senator to speak to her excellent colleague, the Minister, Deputy Chambers, in the Department of public expenditure and reform. He will be a key part of that. I have the funding for the relevant site but in all things, like all Ministers, I have a limited capital envelope. Where I get projects to shovel-ready I have a commitment from the Minister they will be funded irrespective of the capital envelope as it is now. Our bigger challenge is not the allocation of funding at the other end but getting projects shovel ready. The Minister for public expenditure is responsible for two pieces here – implementing the terms of the accelerated infrastructure task force and making sure his officials ensure it is implemented, and then providing the capacity to fund in a range of different ways. I would welcome the Senator’s support with both of those crucial things for the people of the mid-west to make sure her party colleague delivers for them.
That is great news. I am delighted to hear that Minister, Deputy Chambers, will be supporting us in this. I know he will not be found wanting. I am looking forward to hearing the Minister for Health’s decision on the maternity hospital relocation. We would, of course, advocate for the relocation and colocation of it closer to UHL.
While yesterday’s Cabinet decision is very welcome and nothing less than what the people of the mid-west need and deserve, it is, of course, a long-term plan and pathway to safer care. The reality is that patient care for people in the mid-west is no different now than it was yesterday or than it will be tomorrow or next winter. That remains unacceptable. It will be 2029 before the next major block of acute beds will be delivered. I am firmly of the view that urgent interim measures are required in the years between now and then. I will continue to engage with the Minister on what immediate actions can be taken in the interim for the people in the mid-west while we await delivery of this very welcome medium- and long-term solutions.
It is clear to see how much University Hospital Limerick has improved over the past year. I am so disappointed to hear this constant doing down of UHL, as its performance, particularly since the 96-bed block opened, has been quite extraordinary. We look at the HSE figures every day. This morning, there were 248 people on trolleys. Our threshold for what is tolerable is 280, so it is like a good summer's day today and we are right in the middle of flu. According to the HSE figures, which are what we track throughout all of the hospitals, there were 18 patients on trolleys in UHL yesterday. In Galway, there were 39. Last week, in the same way, Limerick was outperforming Galway and other hospitals like Galway across the west and north west every single day. The work UHL is doing to make sure that is being delivered is based on weekend discharging and consistent patient flow. Last weekend, there 34 patients on trolleys on Friday, nine on Saturday morning, 15 on Sunday morning, it went up to about 30 on Monday and back down to 18 yesterday. The performance is consistently better and I thank every person in UHL who is making that possible.
I thank the Minister.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 11.21 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 11.33 a.m.
Sitting suspended at 11.21 a.m. and resumed at 11.33 p.m.