3111. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health to provide an updated timeline for the construction phases and governance structure of the newly established project board managing the 44-acre hospital site acquired by the HSE in Raheen, Limerick; if she will address concerns that choosing this site leaves over 40% of the population in County Clare more than an hour away from an emergency department; if she will commit to specific capital funding to upgrade acute capacity and beds at Ennis Hospital to mitigate this geographic deficit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54854/26]

In December 2025, the Minister received Government support to progress with a blend of the proposed HIQA options A, B and C necessary to respond to the challenges in the Mid West.

HIQA’s review identifies three potential options for consideration, including:

• expand capacity at the UHL Dooradoyle site (Option A),

• extend the UHL hospital campus to comprise the existing Dooradoyle site and another site (Option B), develop a Model 3 hospital in the HSE Mid West, providing a second ED for the region (Option C).

Work to expand capacity at the University Hospital Limerick (UHL) Dooradoyle site under Option A is progressing rapidly, with a new 96-bed block delivered in October 2025, construction due to complete on an additional 16 beds by the end of 2026, contracts awarded for a second 96-bed block, and a design team appointed for a further 66-bed block. Across Ennis, St John's and Nenagh Model 2 Hospitals, an additional 114 beds are planned by 2031. In total, 420 regional beds are expected to be delivered in the region.

The newly acquired site in Raheen, just 2km from UHL, provides a significant opportunity to provide meaningful additional capacity and health services to the people of Limerick, Clare and Tipperary.

On 22 July, the Minister appointed Mr Sean O’Driscoll as Chair of the Mid West Health Planning Board that is being established. Mr O’Driscoll brings vast commercial, industry and research experience as well as a focus on delivering results, which can be seen most recently through his work on the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce.

The Board will provide strategic direction and oversight to the development of a Mid West Service and Infrastructure Plan for the HSE Mid West Region. It will focus on how services can be organised across hospital, community, primary care, and pre-hospital services. This includes looking at how care can be provided closer to home, where appropriate, how pressure on UHL can be reduced, and how existing and future locations can best work together for the whole region.

The Board is made up of senior regional Health Service Executive (HSE) leaders and multidisciplinary expertise across service delivery, clinical care, infrastructure, finance, and enterprise, alongside patient and service-user representation to ensure that community needs and lived experience inform the Board’s work.

The Board will begin its work in September and finalise the delivery of the Service and Infrastructure Plan for the Mid West within nine months. Following the publication of the Plan, the HSE will develop and deliver on an implementation plan to advance the work of the Health Planning Board.

The Minister remains focused on ensuring that the recommendations arising from HIQA’s assessment are implemented in a timely and coordinated manner, and that people in the Mid West have access to safe, high-quality, and reliable care.