The HSE must follow up words with actions in relation to the ongoing difficulties with regards CT scans at Ennis General.

The scanner has lay idle since last October due to staffing and logistical difficulties.

The HSE are giving a 100% commitment that the scanner will be up and running from this July. They are giving a commitment that staffing issues will be resolved by this point. While I welcome this statement, it is simply not good enough that normal staffing logistics would have mothballed this vital piece of medical equipment for the last seven months.

How can we have trust in the HSE locally to deliver an effective health service when they have to be practically forced to do their job? The Clare public put in an enormous effort to help secure this state of the art CT scanner. The HSE have the responsibility to ensure that there are the expert staff hired to make such facilities operational.

That they could not do that in this instance raises serious question marks over the way they operate. Lessons must be learned, and there must be a cast iron guarantee that this service will not be under threat should staffing issues arise in the future.

Also, I want the HSE to commit to outpatient CT Scans over the coming year. This facility must be maximised so as to reduce the additional stress being placed on patients who currently have to travel to Limerick.

Must erosion of public confidence in the delivery of an effective and modern health service has been done in the past decade. Issues such as this do not help restore that confidence.