David Cullinan

Well, it shows that the completion dates which have come and gone, we're at completion date number 19, heading very quickly for number 20 in terms of the children's hospital is not without its consequences.

Obviously, the longer the hospital is not completed and not opened, we have very expensive equipment and we have a hospital which really should be open and treating children regularly.

lying idle.

There are problems that we're hearing about all of the time in relation to more possible delays.

What we do know is that the Development Board are not in a position to tell us when the new completion date will actually happen.

And all the while we have very expensive diagnostic equipment to the cost of 10 million, maybe more, sitting there not being used.

Some of it commissioned, some of it not being commissioned.

So we know that children are waiting far too long for access to care.

We need this children's hospital opened.

We need these very expensive diagnostic tools and equipment available to clinicians so that children can get much more rapid access to diagnostics.

So this is a consequence, again, of the children's hospital not being completed on time.

Well, we have a bigger problem right across the state in relation to diagnostic equipment because last year I received a parliamentary question response which showed that a lot of the equipment, MRI scanners, CT scanners, for example, are out of date.

We can't get the data.

We should know which pieces of equipment in different hospitals

are functioning fully and functioning not.

We have some which are partially working, some not working at all.

And it makes no sense when you have very expensive equipment, which is either lying idle, only being personally used or out of date.

And yet the basic information, basic data being sought, which can't be provided by the HSE.

So I just find that completely and utterly unacceptable.

Well, first of all, I think the figure of 73 million over five years will surprise people.