I thank Deputy McAuliffe for raising this issue. All of us on these benches agree with him because, thankfully, we are now in a position where we can provide a significant level of capital funding. Roughly speaking, we are planning on spending €275 billion out to 2035. That is badly needed for housing, for the enabling infrastructure for housing and a growing population and for the delivery of modern public services, including in the area of health. I and my colleague the Minister, Deputy Chambers, agree with the Deputy. Alongside funding, the challenge now is going be making sure we cut through the red tape, bureaucracy, the bottlenecks, the gates, the stages, the external consultants and this, that and the other that have led us to a situation where big projects are taking far too long to deliver. That is not consequence free. It has a real impact in the Deputy's constituency, in my constituency and in constituencies across the country. In addition to the work that the Minister, Deputy Chambers, did in the context of the accelerating infrastructure task force, I am pleased to say that we are now seeing real delivery. There was a proposal before Cabinet this week that we estimate will cut around 20 weeks off the delivery of the projects by not having to go back to external consultants. I say that by way of both form and credibility in terms of Deputy McAuliffe's constituency action in relation to that. On health specifically, we are expecting the HSE capital plan to be published, as the Deputy rightly said, in the next number of weeks. The Minister for Health will keep in close contact with the Deputy in relation to that and with all of our Deputies across the Government benches too. The Deputy referenced a number of projects in relation to Beaumont Hospital, such as the cystic fibrosis facility, which, I know, is important to Deputies Ó Muirí and Heneghan too. This is a very important facility, and we all feel strongly about the extra bed capacity and the emergency department. Deputy McAuliffe also referenced Finglas primary care centre. My understanding is that the tenders for phase 1 have been received by the HSE, which expects a positive outcome on tender award over the coming weeks. Enabling works are now anticipated to commence on the site in the middle of this year, which will come as welcome relief after the long period for which the Deputy's community has been waiting for that facility. I am really pleased the Deputy mentioned the SAOL project. I have given a commitment to coming out - and I would be delighted to do it with the Deputy - to see that project. I feel very passionately about it. I have gotten to know those involved personally. My colleague and friend Councillor Gayle Ralph raised this matter with me as recently as last Saturday, but I would be very pleased to go out with the Deputy to visit SAOL and make sure we get this over the line. This is a chance to transform lives. A huge amount of work has been invested in this by SAOL but by the HSE. Bernard Gloster has been very committed to the project, as has Deputy McAuliffe. I am committed to working with the Deputy to try get it over the line very shortly.

Sentiment score: 0.27

I do not disagree with anything Deputy McAuliffe said. It is now about delivery. The Minister for Health is very committed to it, as are the Minister for public expenditure, Deputy Chambers, and the Government. We all identified in advance of the previous election that our challenged is to put the resources our country has to work in terms of getting these projects moving. There are encouraging signs in that regard. I have seen a level of focus and an appetite for this reform in the new infrastructure division of the Department of public expenditure and reform. The Deputy is right in that we have to translate this now to every level of the public service. I do not say that critically. We can have a policy but we need to make sure it is translated right down to the front line. We will be very eager to monitor that very closely with the Minister for Health and the HSE, and at the Cabinet committee on infrastructure delivery. This is a year in which we will see good progress for Finglas in terms of the primary care centre. We are all very committed to Beaumont Hospital. We will see a number of projects coming forward, but, in fairness to the HSE, I want to await the capital plan. I am always conscious that these projects being delivered on live hospital sites presents extra complexity, which is something the HSE is factoring in. I will keep in touch with the Deputy on this matter in the coming weeks.

Sentiment score: 0.23