The programme for Government contains a commitment to provide better healthcare. There is a need for increased investment in and expansion of the emergency department in Cavan General Hospital. It has ten examination cubicles, which is not adequate to deal with the 32,000 patients who attend it annually. There is one small triage room and no designated paediatrics area. There are no appropriate isolation or decontamination facilities. The reception area is very small. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland hospital group has made a case for upgrading the emergency department. I ask the Tánaiste to respond to that request.

I thank Deputy Niamh Smyth for her question. Project 2040 recognises the shortfall in capital infrastructure not just in Cavan but also countrywide. That is why €11 billion is to be committed in the next ten years to increase capacity and improve facilities. When compared with the €4 billion spent in the past ten years, the commitment shows the ambition of the Government to improve facilities, including those in Cavan.