I compliment the Minister on his efforts with that regular monthly engagement. I ask the Minister to detail for me, as a layperson in this field, what exactly happens at these monthly meetings. Are targets set? Are action points left to the various stakeholders? What is the general run of those meetings? Given the number of questions tabled today and most months, there is a tacit acknowledgement that there are significant challenges, as the Minister has acknowledged repeatedly again this morning. I ask him to give …

We all acknowledge the issues and they are well documented, and the Minister acknowledged the challenges himself. I refer to the figures of 735 discharges and 452 new inductions. What portion of the 735 discharges are due to retirement? The Minister rightly acknowledged that as with nurses, doctors or any other job in the public sector, there will be a natural turnover of staff. Can the Minister provide an estimate of how many are discharged naturally through retirements?

Thank you, Minister. We will let Deputy Ó Ríordáin back in, after which you may finish the reply.

Tá an t-am istigh. Níl an Teachta Gannon i láthair. Mar sin, bogfaimid ar aghaidh go dtí Ceist Uimh. 60, in ainm an Teachta Ó Laoghaire.

Táimid ag bogadh ar aghaidh go dtí Ceist Uimh. 60 anois.

As we have ten minutes remaining, I will try to fit two questions in, so I will ask Deputies to be as brief as they can, please.

I acknowledge that we had a bit of news on this issue earlier in the week, in an article featured in the Irish Examiner , courtesy of Danny McConnell, who is sitting above us. The early indications coming out of the announcement seem to suggest the confirmation we have all been looking for in Cork North-Central. Deputy Barry opposite and all the Deputies in Cork North-Central - well, many of us - have been fighting the corner for this hospital to be located in Glanmire, and it now appears that will be the case. We …

I did not expect the Minister of State to confirm with a big fanfare that the site has been chosen as Glanmire here this evening but it is not a secret anymore. Many of us have been aware that the preferred site was Glanmire up to eight months ago, to be honest. That detail was quite well known although, as I said, I do not expect the Minister of State to confirm it this evening. I commend the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, for his work on this. I know his Department turned around the business case and the publi…

It is a case of déjà vu and another day another story in the Irish Examiner about the elective hospital in Cork. It is being rolled out every couple of weeks. It is a bit self-indulgent of the many people who keep recycling the same garbage over and over again in the press. We all know the reasons we need the elective hospital. We know the importance of an elective hospital not only in Cork but also in Galway and Limerick. Can we get a specific timeline so that we can bring to an end all of the rumour, innuendo and…

I understand negotiations with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform are proceeding with regard to reviewing sport club commitments under the largescale sport infrastructure fund. Can the Minister of State provide us with an update on that?

It is welcome to see that €6 million has been drawn down by those 33 projects, as the Minister of State has alluded to. The fundamental point here, though, is that regarding many of these larger organisations, and the Football Association of Ireland, FAI, comes to mind immediately, it is well documented that they are fairly cash-strapped now and are incapable of progressing many of these applications without some kind of a review and a leg-up. It is, therefore, great to see that this engagement has happened. I woul…

It is welcome that there is ongoing engagement with organisations like the FAI and that they are progressing some projects. I emphasise the importance of the centre of excellence in Glanmire. It will be a project that will cover most of Munster. Especially now that Cork City has been elevated back into the League of Ireland Premier Division, it is imperative that, in conjunction with the FAI, we continue to develop the facility there. As I said, if it does not take the guise or the form we originally planned or env…

I again raise the issue of elective hospitals throughout the country, including in Dublin, Cork and Galway. A key focus for the Government has been their delivery and there have been multimillion euro announcements about them. The issue is that we need to get on and build them. The crisis we have with trolleys and waiting lists is well documented, and these hospitals are required to tackle those waiting lists into the future. Can we please get on with the job in hand and actually deliver those hospitals?

I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, the best after his incident yesterday. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for coming in and substituting for the question. This is my third time speaking on this issue. I am passionate about it. I served as a county councillor for six years before I had the honour of being elected to this House. I have fundamental concerns about the direction of local democracy, particularly in regard to the issue of the powers of the Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. She has given me much of the same information I have been given on previous occasions when I have raised this matter. I am not trying to undermine the OPR. In the overall argument, I know the OPR has a job to do. While I cannot speak for all of us, most of us here would have started as county councillors and city councillors. We know how important it is locally to our constituents that we are involved in this process. The way the OPR has acted at times has been counterp…

Deputy McDonald touched on the planning Act review that the Government and the Attorney General are undertaking. I seek a progress report on this. Will the Taoiseach give us a timeline for when that legislation will be ready? There is a multitude of issues there that are very pertinent. The role of An Bord Pleanála needs to be examined thoroughly. The powers of the Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR, also need to be examined along with the streamlining of legislation, which the Taoiseach mentioned earlier, espec…

As the Minister of State will be aware, I have a question later on the schedule that is unlikely to be reached, but it is on the same subject. The reason I stand here this evening is that there is much misinformation in the public domain regarding this project. It is important, particularly for the residents and businesses in Glanmire, that the Minister of State gives clarity and certainty. He half gave that already with regard to Deputy Colm Burke's question. Could he clarify for the audience at home specifically …

Deputy Boyd Barrett has been nominated to discuss Question No. 13, which is in the name of Deputy Bríd Smith.

I will let Deputy O'Rourke in for 30 seconds and we will have to conclude then.

Minister, apologies. We have to move on to the next slot. Unfortunately, we are out of time.