Phoenix: Have you heard it?

Open your front door. You will be bowled over by the rush to Waterford of government ministers and their apparatchiks to pick up the pieces at ABP where 230 jobs are to go. 

The response has been truly mind-blowing, hasn’t it? Indeed, the last time we saw such instant reaction from Government and its agencies was two years ago when Cartamundi shed 234 jobs. All responsible agencies were dispatched to every point of the compass to seek out new Foreign Direct Investment for Waterford. 

Oh wait, I forgot, that only happens in places like Galway (Digital anyone?). Waterford has not had a new company, capital intensive job announcement, in years, but our Pravda sources scream, ”Waterford records third highest net job growth in Ireland.” Really?

Tánaiste Simon Harris overwhelmed us here last week with the number of announcements made of government investment and project commencements in Waterford. Irony is astounding. 

In reality, it's cause and effect. 

We reported in 2022: “Waterford at the bottom of list for IDA visits over 10 years”. If the IDA brings no FDI clients here, there will be no new industry. In 2021, there were eight IDA client visits to Waterford, 44 visits to Cork, 37 to Limerick and 31 to Galway. The Irish Times says there are 25,000 people working in medical device industries in Galway. We are hardly the favourite son?

Politics always decides these developments. Not a brick is put upon official brick in this country without a cabinet decision. Business is politely shuffled in the desired direction as public investment spawns private investment. That is the immutable rule. 

Meanwhile, we have a super junior minister Mary Butler at cabinet and not a single one of Waterford’s many long-pending HSE projects has inched forward to the planning application stage in the past year. It is disgraceful. 

Even the commitment to 24/7 cardiology to start in June 2026 made by Minister John Cummins could not be confirmed at last week’s regional health forum in Wexford.

Minister Butler announced in June 2024:

1. “A key project for UHW, funding will be provided for the appraisal of a proposed vertical extension over the existing Outpatient Department to provide an additional 36 consulting rooms, four treatment rooms, four measurement rooms, and two virtual consultation rooms. At 2,002 sq metres in total, with the inclusion of two new levels, this really ambitious development for UHW is intended to progress to detailed design. The vertical extension to the Out Patient Department will provide much-needed additional capacity." This development has planning permission since 2022 but has apparently been scrapped. So much for the appraisal process.

2. “98 new acute beds will be put in place at University Hospital Waterford across the course of the next three years.” Where are they?

3. “In some really great news for the whole county, a brand new greenfield site Ambulance Base will be built. Appraisal will be underway for a standalone base of approximately 1550 sq metres.” Where is it?

4. “The projects being supported include the new St Otteran's Children's Therapy facility in Waterford City to facilitate therapy services for children and young people with complex needs. The project is now at the Detailed Design/ Tender stage.” Where is it?

5. “Replacement of the existing 44-bed multi-bed Adult Mental Health Unit with a new 50 single-bed unit.” Where is it? The latest HSE news promises they will, “complete (in 2026) the feasibility study to progress the project at the priority site at University Hospital Waterford”. It was at the appraisal stage in the HSE 2021 Plan. It is still being studied. Is Minister Butler being fooled by her mandarins?

Meanwhile, in UHW’s National Cancer Centre, “new cancer performance data shows Waterford patients experience some of the longest delays in the country when accessing chemotherapy and breast cancer surgery. Figures show 34% of patients in Waterford did not start chemotherapy within the target timeframe of 15 working days. That places Waterford 24th out of 25 hospitals nationally providing chemotherapy services.” 

Wonderful news, Minister Butler, from our Model 4 tertiary referral hospital. Have we lost our ability to be shocked?

The new UHW surgical hub and path lab extension announced in 2024 have happened, but much more is required to bring UHW to the Model 4 hospital resource level. Unless projects move to the planning permission stage, they are effectively stalled. 

UHW is desperate for a multi-storey car park; it's being appraised i.e. stalled. 

The HSE National Service Plan 2025 stated, “Progress the development of UHW as a trauma unit due to its identification as most to be impacted by future bypass protocols, with an associated anticipated increase in trauma patient volumes to be seen in the emergency department.” The 2026 National Service Plan states, “Commence development of trauma unit at UHW.” What’s the “Sir Humphrey” difference between “progress” and “commencement”?

Meanwhile, on December 5 last Minister for Further and Higher Education, James Lawless, visited the Glassworks site and announced, “Approval has been provided for SETU to 'progress' their building proposal for Waterford to the next stage of development under the Department’s Technological Sector Strategic Projects Fund, as part of their proposed creation of a University and Enterprise Quarter on the site.” 

He said: “This project will invest tens of millions of euro to revitalise this iconic site, enabling the co-location of teaching, research, innovation and enterprise, while establishing a new focal point for the city of Waterford.” 

When? What does “next stage of development” mean in terms of actual work on site?

Minister John Cummins said: “The progression of this One Health building is a real statement of intent by Government in the direction of travel that we want SETU to take. Today’s good news follows the approval for a design team to be appointed for the veterinary medicine building in recent weeks.” 

What no one said was, “What’s the time-line? When will we see buildings”? Manana, just like the “new” engineering building?

Go see the new SETU management services building in Carlow and tell us about the 20 years progress lost by WIT/ SETU Waterford because Fine Gael eviscerated the institute’s development for their own electoral purposes.