I support Senator Gavan's comments on University Hospital Limerick. I have no reason to disbelieve the comments he made. From all the reports I have ever heard from management in that hospital, it is believable that this happened. In fairness to the Minister for Health, the Senator would not have found out that information-----

True.

-----if he had not come down himself without telling them. We had a meeting with him yesterday in which he said he was arriving this morning to meet them so he obviously kept what he was doing quiet and that has triggered them trying to hide patients, which is an utter disgrace.

I want to ask the Acting Leader two questions. It was reported last night by Daniel McConnell that at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting, the Minister for Health spoke about a drug for women who suffer from hyperemesis called Cariban. I have spoken about it a number of times, including this week and last year. Could the Minister make a statement on that? If it is true then women who suffer from severe illness and sickness during their pregnancies would be supported financially. It costs them approximately €3,000 during their pregnancies and they have never been supported financially by the State for it. From the comments I read from Daniel McConnell it seems that will change.

The announcements on the sports capital grants have been hugely welcomed in Tipperary but from the day the applications were made to when the announcement has been made, the costs incurred by clubs to build AstroTurf pitches, floodlights and everything else have dramatically increased. Will the Acting Leader ask the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, to come into the Chamber and outline whether funding will be set aside for the increased costs that sports clubs will incur since they initially applied for these sports capital grants back in 2019?

On Sunday last, an Chéad Chathlán Coisithe i nDún Uí Mhaoilíosa i nGaillimh held its commemoration of 100 years. I want to pay some respect to my colleagues: Senator Kyne, who is here; Senator Crowe; and Deputies Ó Cuív and Grealish. Their attendance at that parade was greatly appreciated by all. Soldiers in Galway know they have support in this House and in the Lower House and that is important.

Some time ago I spoke about how politics in this country, and particularly the massive portfolios our Ministers have, is failing the system. What we heard about University Hospital Limerick today is indicative of the failure I am talking about. No Minister over the past 11 years can be held responsible for bad management at local level. Ministers cannot micromanage systems. I am delighted that the Minister for Health decided yesterday that he would pull a snap inspection and that shows great leadership on his behalf. I am quick enough to criticise people when the opportunity arises but we have to move away from constantly looking at the Government or the Minister because some local organisation is not living up to the job and task it is supposed to be carrying out. Senator Gavan is correct that he has been raising this matter for years, as have other Limerick-based Senators on the Government side. The bottom line is that if there is a problem there it should not fall to a Minister for Health to have to drive to Limerick to see what is going on. There should be a proper management accounting system and the lacuna that exists between ministerial responsibility and local management needs to be addressed. We cannot continually blame politicians for the failures of people who are paid massive salaries to do a managerial task. That is something we should have a debate on in this House in the public interest.