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Deputy Tom Neville:   I thank the Minister and welcome his statement. He has put some meat on the bones regarding the timeline for refurbishment. I ask the Minister to keep a close eye on this and that efforts be made to push it through as quickly as possible, given the timelines there in respect of next year. It will help if we can bring it forward or prioritise it to any degree, even perhaps by a number of months. The refurbishment was announced in 2014. I recognise the Minister's input and thank him for his reply and his prioritising of this issue.
On the issue of the Garda in County Limerick in general, I welcome the recruitment that is taking place and recognise that Templemore was opened by the last Government. We want to see that recruitment continue and to ensure the force is beefed up to the level outlined in the programme for Government but I must also put in my own spake for Limerick. I hope that rural Limerick is not forgotten but will be recognised, particularly given the challenges rural areas have had to face in recent years. The county will be complemented by the city region as well. We are trying to get the resources for the city but are keen to ensure the rural areas are not forgotten.
I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Garda in County Limerick and how it conducts itself. A superintendent in Newcastle West has retired. I wish him well and hope that his replacement will be brought in as soon as possible. I thank the Minister for replying to my question.
Deputy Charles Flanagan: The Deputy has asked that I keep a close eye on matters. I assure him that I am very keen that this project will be completed but I do not believe there is any necessity for me to keep a close eye on matters, having regard to the close eye Deputy Neville himself keeps on this and other important issues in the Limerick constituency.
I agree with the Deputy on the matter of Garda recruitment. I am committed to ensuring a strong and visible Garda presence throughout the country to maintain and strengthen community engagement, to provide reassurance to citizens and to deter crime. The substantial increase in Garda numbers is tangible progress towards achieving the overall vision of this Government to have an overall Garda service of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprised of 15,000 gardaí, 2,000 members of the Garda Reserve and 4,000 civilians. I am pleased to say that last week's budget will support the continuation of this high level of investment in the Garda workforce and will ensure that our targets are firmly on track. Deputy Neville will be aware of the recent graduation of 180 Garda recruits and trainees from Templemore, with a further 200 expected to complete their training course prior to the end of this year, which will bring numbers in the Garda service, having regard to retirements, to approximately 13,500 by the end of this year. Many of these new recruits have been given responsibilities in the Deputy's constituency of Limerick.
On the specific issue of Newcastle West, I assure the Deputy that the works on the Garda station in Newcastle West is a key component of the Garda station building and refurbishment programme, which is an ambitious five-year plan which will benefit Newcastle West, Limerick and other areas. An Garda Síochána and the Office of Public Works, OPW, are working closely to progress the works and to ensure adequate accommodation for the Garda in the meantime, considering the challenge of being a member of the force. The works are estimated to take 18 months following the completion of the tender and procurement process. They will be completed at the earliest opportunity throughout 2018 and I am sure that we will have the opportunity of revisiting this issue as the works progress.
Emergency Departments Services
Deputy Brendan Smith: In May 2014 I instigated a Topical Issue debate on the need to provide a new emergency department at Cavan General Hospital. The hospital opened in June 1989 and since then the number of patients presenting at the emergency department has grown substantially. That particular debate, to which the then Minister for Health, Senator Reilly, replied at the time, highlighted the need to provide appropriate resuscitation and isolation facilities at the emergency department and in particular the need to provide more examination cubicles. I also highlighted the benefits that would accrue from having a minor operating theatre within the emergency department.
The layout of the department is not suitable due to the numbers presenting nowadays. That has been accepted by the HSE and by all medical and nursing clinicians as well. There has been an increase in the population of the Cavan-Monaghan area, which I very much welcome. When I raised this issue in 2014, the population of both counties at that time was 133,500 people. Today, thankfully, it has reached 137,562 people. I raise the point about population because there is a high proportion of older people in the Cavan-Monaghan area. It is well above the national average. As the hospital also provides services for our friends and neighbours from counties Meath, Leitrim and Longford, it has a major catchment area. Over the years, thankfully, there have been major developments at the hospital and I welcome the provision in 2009 of a medical assessment unit. A paediatric assessment unit was also provided. In 2014 an outpatient facility for paediatric cystic fibrosis patients opened and that occurred with huge input from the local community as well. From 2000 to 2011, a major capital programme was in place in which more than 20 additional beds were provided for the hospital, as well as a magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, unit, a computed tomography, CT, scanner, oncology services and a major expansion in renal dialysis services. Thankfully, today services are provided at Cavan General Hospital that once one could only access in the tertiary hospitals in Dublin.
We welcome the provision of additional services but they pose additional demands on the emergency department. When capacity is expanded - which I was very glad to support and to work towards achieving - that creates an extra demand on the emergency department. In the meantime the investment has not taken place in upgrading existing facilities or providing additional facilities. A number of years ago, the HSE brought the design plans to a very advanced stage on three or four occasions. There was going to be a major capital investment but each time, it did not happen. It would have been a very substantial project with additional facilities that everyone would have welcomed. In the meantime, plans were put in place to have a more minor investment that nonetheless would be very important. It was a programme that had advanced through planning. We were told the money was in place but unfortunately it still has not happened. The smaller project, which would be very welcome, would provide eight more cubicles. That would be extremely important. People with family members who have attended and people who have worked in the hospital over the years have told me the extra accommodation - comprising of examination cubicles - would be key in providing a better service to the patients presenting. I have been told, via replies to parliamentary questions, correspondence with the HSE and meetings with successive Ministers and senior representatives of the HSE, that a resuscitation area is being developed. Nothing has happened on that, to my knowledge. I would appreciate if the Minister could give me an outline of what is proposed at present, because nothing has happened so far. The numbers presenting are increasing on an annual basis. That is a clear fact. |
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