I started a petition last Friday which now has almost 1,000 signatures. It calls on SouthDoc to reopen its facility on the north side of Cork. I have contacted SouthDoc and asked whether it will reopen this facility. It has said that the closure of the service has had no impact on service provision. Almost 1,000 people would disagree. I have been in touch with the HSE which said that the closure since March is temporary but it has given me no timeline for its reopening. A comment on the Facebook page says that emergencies do not happen only on the south side of the city. There is a hospital and an ambulance base on the south side. We need the SouthDoc facility on the north side to be opened. Will the Taoiseach commit to having this vital facility open before Christmas?

As Minister for Health and Children, I established SouthDoc. I remember receiving a very colourful letter from the late Deputy, Jackie Healy-Rae, who was also an advocate for the service at the time. All of its facilities have made a very significant contribution. I will pursue the issue of the SouthDoc facility on the north side of the city with the HSE. I will ascertain the rationale for the decision and see if we can make progress on the issue.