I wish the Minister well in her new portfolio. I will talk briefly about a hospital in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, St. Luke's Hospital. Will there be urgent investment in the hospital to improve waiting lists, bed accommodation numbers, accident and emergency overcrowding and waiting times at the hospital? They have escalated significantly recently. Additionally, we now have a critical issue regarding medical and nursing vacancies across the hospital. We have 207 whole-time equivalent positions not filled, permanent and temporary, in St. Luke's Hospital.

What plans does the Government have to invest in the infrastructure, upgrade the facilities and recruit and maintain staff at St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny?

I thank the Deputy for flagging this issue to me in advance so I could get additional information for this very short window I have to reply to him. He is right to highlight the gaps and the 277 posts that are funded but have not yet been recruited for. It is not through lack of trying. We have increased our numbers in the healthcare system very considerably but we have the funding and wish to do more. A very significant capital programme is going into this hospital, as the Deputy is aware, including the CT upgrade, the dolmen wing, the 86-bed accommodation block, a better outpatient department, the acute floor extension, and ancillary services such as the car park. He is quite right to raise the investment needed in this very good hospital. I will continue to work on it but we struggle to recruit, even though we have these funded positions.