National children's hospital and therapists
Deputy Calleary criticises possible overruns at the national children's hospital and links wider recruitment problems to vacancies for occupational therapists. The Minister defends the hospital project, rejects the criticism, and says the Deputy should check the local CHO about the vacancy.
I apologise to Deputy Durkan in particular because I gather that he was the only one to show leadership at his parliamentary party meeting last night and actually call out the lack of performance of the Government. As regards the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's infallibility, the people of Donegal have known that for a long time.
As we speak, the board of the national children's hospital is at the Committee of Public Accounts. The latest instalment in the Government's vanity project is that there could be a further overrun of some €50 million on the project. This year alone, it is likely to run over budget by between €2 million and €2.9 million. I have been campaigning for some time to address the waiting lists of more than 500 people for occupational therapists in County Mayo. There are vacancies for occupational therapists. I got a response this morning from the HSE to say that it has applied for funding to fill one of those vacancies but that it continues to await a response. How does the Government defend to a parent of a child on a waiting list for an occupational therapist for the child the fact that the HSE cannot get approval for funding for an occupational therapist? The budget for this children's hospital will go over by another €50 million, including by €2.9 million this year. Some €2.9 million would employ an awful lot of occupational therapists.
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It is a real pity that Deputy Calleary would resort to language like "vanity project" for a project that has been much needed in this country for nearly two generations.
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Fianna Fáil was in power for 27 of the past 35 years. There was not even a sniff other than the €50 million that it wasted on the project in the Mater Hospital.
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It went to planning permission. The Minister is misleading the House.
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It is a real pity that Deputy Calleary would descend to that level.
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The Deputy is attempting to link the fact that we have recruitment challenges across many professions in the country-----
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-----to the national children's hospital, which is a project that will be delivered by this Government. I refer Deputy Calleary to his local community healthcare organisation, CHO, administration to find out exactly why it has not been able to find an occupational therapist to fill the vacancy.