In recent days, the management of Letterkenny University Hospital, LUH, launched a plan for the improvement of services at the hospital. Hardly a week goes by where I do not hear horror stories from families about the emergency department and what is happening there. The conditions are absolutely unacceptable, both for the patients and the nurses and doctors who have to work there. We do not have enough beds, nurses and doctors in LUH and in the community hospitals. LUHl is the sixth largest hospital in the State. When the allocation of beds, nurses and doctors at LUH is compared with the top ten hospitals - I have done this and published it - there is no doubt that there is inequality. Will the Taoiseach get behind this new plan and ensure fairness for the 170,000 people living in Donegal?

I am afraid I have not seen the plan but I certainly look forward to taking a look at it. I have visited the hospital on many occasions. Obviously, we will consider positively any plans that a hospital has to expand its services. One of the difficulties we often run into when we allocate additional resources for staffing is that hospitals often struggle to find those staff, given the international shortage of health skills. As the Deputy knows, we have expansion plans to provide more beds. Around 1,000 more have already been provided since the Government took office.