Connolly Hospital serves a massive catchment area of about 331,000 people in Dublin west, north and mid-west and counties Kildare and Meath. These are areas where the population of this country has increased so enormously. The hospital also takes all the road traffic accident cases from the M50. Connolly Hospital has one CT scanner. It broke down last Thursday, so for six days patients were being ferried and shuffled all around the city-----

I thank the Deputy. I call the Minister.

-----and staff were spending money. That hospital has asked since 1998 for a second CT scanner. Will the Minister get a second CT scanner for Connolly Hospital?

I thank the Deputy.

I compliment the excellent work done by Connolly Hospital, not only on keeping its trolley count down but also on the range of different work it is doing. I refer to the capital investment the hospital deserves to continue to do that. Our plans for Connolly Hospital, with a catchment area of 300,000 people as identified by the Deputy, are to maintain and extend the children's service, the paediatric service, while there will also be a new dental training and surgical facility there. Of course, it will also be the site of the major elective hospital. The Deputy is, therefore, absolutely right. Connolly Hospital is already an excellent facility and is going to be the beneficiary of major capital investment in the next period of time. I look forward to working with the Deputy on the range of different issues.

Will that include the CT scanner? It would be nice if you mentioned that, the actual subject of the question.