Has the Minister for Health received the interim report from HIQA on accident and emergency facilities in the mid-west? Does the Minister expect the final report to be published next month as promised? Is the Government committed to implementing the recommendations of the final report?

I updated the House last week to the effect that I had received the interim report. It has since been published. The report outlines the process that HIQA is going through, including in the context of the submissions that have been made and that are being collated. In the report, HIQA indicates that it will publish the final report in May. We will need to see what that is going to say.

Surgical hubs are being developed in north Dublin, south Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Galway. Surgical hubs eliminate day care waiting lists and take the pressure off various departments in hospitals. I am disappointed that there is no surgical hub for the area north of the Dublin-Galway line. The programme for Government contains a commitment to explore the possibility of providing an additional surgical hub in the north west. I understand there is a site available in Sligo. Will the Minister provide an update on progress so far?

The Deputy is correct that the programme for Government contains a commitment in respect of the establishment of six surgical hubs. We are examining a business case for an additional hub in the north west. I am going through the detail of that. It is extremely important to recognise how additive a surgical hub can be and the support it can provide to a local acute hospital to try to remove some scheduled care in order that people have a completely separate and predictable system. A hub also makes matters easier for the hospital involved as well. We are examining in detail the business case. I would welcome any submissions the Deputy has in relation to Sligo in particular.