Page 58 the programme for Government contains a commitment to building capacity in emergency and acute services, and it states it will address hospital responsiveness to increased demand. I want to bring the attention of the Minister to an email that was sent to every GP in Kerry on 4 October informing them that the walk-in, same-day chest X-ray service would no longer be available in Kerry University Hospital. It also informed them that the current service, whereby ultrasounds are accommodated after 5 p.m., would be placed under review and that it is proposed to cease that service as of Monday, 14 October. Two critical services are, in effect, being scaled down in University Hospital Kerry. I ask the Minister to intervene directly to cease this proposal. We want to have GPs interacting with our hospitals so they can get their patients seen to in a timely manner. This is a regressive step.

I call Deputy Healy-Rae on the same matter.

The Minister will be aware I have raised in the House over a long period the issue of the downgrading of University Hospital Kerry, which is based in Tralee. I have studied very closely the decisions that have been taken by HSE South and I see it as being a power play by the HSE in Cork to downgrade our services in Kerry and centralise everything in Cork. It has been happening. It is happening. I know the Minister is not going to admit it but the fact is that this is what is happening. This walk-in service, which was essential, is being taken away from us. We are being hammered left, right and centre in that hospital, where we have an excellent manager and excellent staff. The people who are working in the hospital are doing their level best but they are getting no help whatsoever. There is a real and serious power play to downgrade our hospital and make it nothing more than a glorified community hospital. I and the other public representatives do not want that to happen and we will not let it happen on our watch.

I thank Deputy Brassil for bringing to my attention the issue in regard to the chest walk-in clinic and the ultrasound. I will revert to him directly and I will talk to the chief executive of the HSE, Mr. Paul Reid, in that regard. I was not familiar with this issue. I know Mr. Reid was in University Hospital Kerry yesterday to meet hospital management and hospital group management, so he should have a good update on it. I will come back to the Deputy on the matter, if not today, then in the morning.

In regard to Deputy Healy-Rae, just because he says something does not mean it is true. If he wants to support the staff and the very highly qualified professionals in that hospital, I do not think he should be suggesting they are working in a community nursing unit. It is a university hospital, providing an excellent service, and there are no plans whatsoever to downgrade it. Not only are there no plans to downgrade it, we plan to increase its capacity further, expand the number of beds and make it even busier.