I raise again the subject of University Hospital Limerick, UHL. I, the Leas-Chathaoirleach and many other Oireachtas Members from the mid-west region attended an informative briefing on Monday of this week with HSE staff from the mid-west who gave us updates on the work being done across the region and the ongoing constraints and capacity issues faced at UHL despite the successful and welcome opening of the 96-bed block last month. The board at UHL, over the course of the recess of the Houses, called on the Government to declare a capacity emergency at UHL. It has said it would find that helpful in the work it is trying to do. I support that call for a capacity emergency to be declared at UHL and once more - I believe it may be my third time in this House - ask the Minister for Health to address the Seanad on what provisions she will make for us for the winter. I have been asking since last June for a UHL-specific winter plan. We need a site-specific winter plan that takes into account that the hospital is already at maximum capacity and is facing into the flu coming from Australia, which, we have been warned, will be quite severe this year.

At that HSE briefing, a matter I had previously discussed with Dr. Peters came up. It is the welcome event in two years' time, the Ryder Cup. It is exciting, but it will bring 200,000 people to our region. It will have a knock-on effect on our hospital and we need planning for how to prepare and cope with the increase in our population for those few weeks to begin now. I would like the Minister for sport to give us an update on what medical provisions and preparations are being made across the region.