I do not accord with that or agree with you.

The fact that there are thousands of people working in factories all over this country matters. There is an issue as to the growth of data itself and the power demands that arise from that-----

-----but we are not going to change that by simply banning data centres forever. If every country adopted that approach we would not have the digital transformation that is happening------

-----whether the Deputy likes it or not.

There are two fundamental drivers at the moment. We need to move to a green-based economy and there will be digital transformation with increased demands for the production and utilisation of data. That is a reality of the modern world. The challenge is to grow and develop an energy infrastructure that can deal with and meet that.

First of all, the performance of the health service in the last year has been exceptional-----

-----in particular in dealing with Covid-19, both at the primary care level and at the acute level. Great credit is due to all involved, particularly all those who worked in west Cork in our ambulance service who did fantastic work in bringing vaccines to people who were bedridden and for mobility reasons could not leave.

I pay tribute also to those in the GP infrastructure across west Cork for the extraordinary work they did. Deputy Collins should have paid tribute to them for the outstanding service that the health service provided in the most difficult of times during a pandemic. It is easy to be condemning all of the time. During August, I was very well aware of the Bantry situation. Deputy Christopher O’Sullivan contacted me on a daily basis. What had transpired was no surprise to anybody, in terms of personnel issues rather th…

They are great phrases the Deputy uses and they are regulars, such as "asleep at the wheel", "on your watch"-----

Every time the Deputy contributes, that seems to be the standard terminology. The bottom line, in the context of Bantry hospital and the recruitment and replacement of personnel, is that management worked very quickly and got those issues resolved. We are not talking about a standard emergency department here, and the Deputy knows that. It should not be referred to as an emergency department because it is not an emergency department. A medical assessment and admission unit is what the Deputy is actually talking abo…

It is not an emergency department.

Let us not make it overly dramatic. That is an important point.

The hospital has, over the years, created a very important role. What is important is that we support what the hospital does well, and resource that-----

That is what we are committed to doing and I have intervened to ensure that happens, as has the Minister for Health. Because of the geography of that area-----

-----the need for the hospital and the range of services it provides are obvious.

In fairness to Deputy Kelly, he understands the seriousness of the issue. He raised it on Leaders' Questions, whereas Deputy McDonald did not think it was serious enough to do so.

That is the reality.

I want to make a point through the Chair.

The bottom line is that in the order of priorities, the Deputy did not see it as a priority issue today. That is her decision. That is her option and I fully respect that-----

The budget will be an opportunity to offer protection from the rising costs of energy. As for my commitment and our commitment to the provision of energy-----