Yesterday in this Chamber, the Taoiseach said the existing cath lab in Waterford is "now open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays." He continued:

The next step, which we are committed to making happen, is to ensure there is a service from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week and then to build up to a 24-hour service. Previously, we did not have the infrastructure or the staff. We now have the infrastructure.

This is a very emotive issue for the people of the south east, as the Taoiseach knows, and there has been a campaign for a long time. Was that a significant policy change on the part of the Government whereby the Taoiseach announced yesterday that it is now committed, as a matter of policy, to a full 24-hour emergency cardiac service available in the hospital? If so, what are the timelines and what resources will be made available to make that happen?

It is not quite that but it is certainly a commitment to extending the hours and improving the services in Waterford.

I asked about 24-hour services.

We have a second cath lab now in Waterford. It is great that we have it. I visited it in the last few weeks. I want to thank all the Deputies who voted for the budget that paid for it-----

I asked whether there has been a policy change.

-----but I do not think the Deputy is one of them. The next step, and I discussed this with the management and the doctors when I visited, is to get that second cath lab commissioned and staffed and to extend the hours to a seven-day-a-week service from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. That is what they want to do and I support them in wanting to do that.

I asked about 24-7 services.

Moving to 24-7 is a future step. It needs to be subject to further review and we need to be sure we can staff it, and that is a serious point. We need to be sure it is safe.

There has been no policy change.

In all of Leinster, there are 2.5 million people, and we have been able to staff only two cath labs 24-7. Asking skilled people to work 24-7 for the rest of their lives is a big ask and it is one that will be hard to do. Certainly, we would like to do it, but the next step, and this is the step we are committed to making happen, is a seven-day service from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.