I wish to raise the report that was released this morning by HIQA regarding University Hospital Limerick and the three recommendations it contains. My understanding is that all three recommendations are under consideration. Will the Leader ask the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to come before the House as soon as possible to discuss this issue? One of the key things that came out of the report is the need for 90 additional beds at the hospital. That is despite the fact that we will be opening 92 new beds in the next couple of weeks, as I understand it.

The recommendations are as follows. Option A would involve an expansion on the existing hospital grounds. Option B recommends something the Leader will be familiar with, that is, a model 3 hospital alongside a model 4 hospital, similar to Merlin Park University Hospital and University Hospital Galway. While the model 3 hospital would have an emergency department, it would not cater for acute emergencies. Option C would involve building a completely new hospital with a second accident and emergency department. Discussion is needed regarding those options. In the meantime, however, we need to find an additional 92 beds before the end of the year. There are more than 100 people on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick today. The report is welcome. We have waited for a long time for it to come out, but we need to start acting on it sooner rather than later because this is a pressing issue.

I also wish to be associated with the votes of sympathy to the family of the late former Minister and Senator, Martin Mansergh, and to Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee on the passing of her mother, Mary. May they both rest in peace. Our thoughts are with the families and, in particular, with our colleague Senator Clifford-Lee.

I rise to express concern at the Government’s recent decision to increase the voluntary return allowance for asylum seekers. While I realise the pressures that are on the Government in this regard, the financial allowance for asylum seekers to be processed is approximately €122,000 per applicant. That seems a staggering figure. You have to tread very carefully when incentivising vulnerable individuals to abandon their claims for asylum protection. The incentive will increase to €2,500 per person and €10,000 per family. Even though it might appear pragmatic, the question must be asked as to whether costs are being prioritised over compassion.

I deal with many of the individuals. We have a homeless cafe and lately a lot of people have been coming in who are seeking asylum. They are fleeing very real danger. They are fleeing war and a lot of them have been maimed. The Government is offering financial incentives for them to leave Ireland and go back to the very place they are fleeing but I do not know how money can solve that issue.

I welcome the safeguards that we have for vulnerable individuals. I also welcome the exclusion of those convicted of serious criminality. We have to ensure, however, that no one is pressured, explicitly or implicitly, into returning to unsafe conditions. We must remember that Ireland is a nation built on empathy and justice. I urge the Minister to monitor this scheme and the new recommendations closely. We must ensure transparency and uphold the dignity of every person who seeks refuge on our shores. We must balance the fiscal responsibility with moral leadership.

I too want to be associated with the votes of sympathy for Dr. Martin Mansergh, and to Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee on the death of her mother.

I stand here regarding the HIQA report. I am doing this against the backdrop of there having been 147 people from the mid-west region on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick, UHL, at one stage over the past couple of days, which is completely and totally unacceptable. Back in 2024, I think it was late April or early May, the Minister announced a short, sharp review of emergency services to be conducted by HIQA. It was anything but short because 18 months later we finally get the report. I am somewhat baffled by the report. I was hoping there would be a clear recommendation to the Minister on what was needed but what we have are options. We have one option about expanding capacity. That is happening anyway. There is a second option about building a hospital beside the hospital. There is another option about building a separate hospital completely which would have its own emergency department. There are options and there are recommended options but where is the clear guidance that I was expecting and which the people of the mid-west were certainly expecting? I want to know what are the next steps. Are we going to have another review or committee or expert group to look at the options and to recommend an option? Is that going to take another 18 months to come back with a recommendation?

One thing I welcome in the report is that it said immediate action is needed. That is correct. Immediate action is needed because what has been going on in UHL for the last number of years is nothing short of a national scandal. I do agree with that but clearly the guidance I and the people of the mid-west were hoping for from this report is really not there. I wanted a clear pathway, a recommended action that the Minister would implement tomorrow morning. It is appropriate that the Minister would come in here and outline what the next steps are to deal with this issue and to provide the necessary services that are needed in the mid-west so we would no longer have 147 people on trolleys. These are people in their 70s, 80s and 90s. It is totally unacceptable. I want a debate here with statements on this specific report, which is the HIQA report into emergency care in the mid-west. I want it as urgently as the Leader can arrange it with the Minister. I hope we are not going to enter another lengthy process of reviewing with expert groups and so on as to what happens. I want to know what the timeline is, what is happening, which option is going to be advanced and escalated, and how long it will take. This is urgent because what is going on in Limerick is totally and utterly unacceptable.