Phoenix: Stagnant politics?

What is going on in local politics? It’s all turned into mush, a kind of staid table tennis, with no disagreements, no sharp edges. There is little sense of ambition from government or challenge from opposition. 

Is everyone happy with the status quo? Two government TDs and two Sinn Féin TDs, happy playing for a draw as Waterford lags behind its peer cities and the international situation and outlook darkens?

That came to mind on seeing a social media post from David Cullinane. He wrote, “I welcome confirmation from the Department of Health, in response to a parliamentary question I submitted, that funding has now been allocated to progress the new Acute Mental Health Unit (AMHU) at UHW through the design feasibility stage. 

"It is also very positive that a location for the new unit has now been identified and agreed, and that the project has been included as one of the priority capital projects for 2026.” 

This is what TDs do, to bring the facts into the public domain. But then what?

A new AMHU at UHW has been proposed for years. Minister Butler announced an allocation of €100,000 six years ago to progress the project. It has crawled slowly through HSE processes since well before 2021 when it was listed as at “appraisal“ stage. It is a priority for Minister Butler. The 2026 HSE Capital Plan shows it still at “appraisal” stage. Five years being stalled. 

The financial allocation to advance the project this year is €140,350. That would not move bowels in the HSE, never mind bring a large project to planning and tender. That suggests nothing will happen with this project for another year while SF ”welcomes progress” and “acknowledges the work Mary Butler has done in helping to progress the project”. What work? The HSE has six mental health unit priorities, five are moving ahead and ours is ”going to move to design feasibility in Q2 2026”. Is the main Dáil opposition happy with this glacial progress?

20,000 Waterford voters put their faith in SF in pursuit of change. Mr Cullinane has obtained and published the figures about IDA visits and FDI investments. Waterford’s economy is exposed because of a limited number of FDI jobs. Just imagine 25,000 medical devices jobs in Galway. 

SF knows UHW and SETU have been denied the capital development they should get. Their Parliamentary Questions have exposed the truth, “figures presented show total capital funding given to Technological Universities since their establishment is €236 million, with the South East Technological University bottom of the table with €30 million”. Yet the game goes on while Waterford lags. Our name was rubbed off the college campus without a murmur from SF. Isn’t Dáil opposition supposed to be political senior hurling?

I defy anyone, from the Taoiseach down, to examine the HSE Capital Plans over the past 10 years and show the people of Waterford how UHW has received a fair share of investment. This year, yes, with the surgical hub, which is nearing completion. Past 10 years, bottom of the list. Average capital spending for that period of CUH/LUH/GUH is €134 million each. UHW received €67 million.

Only the proposed children’s therapy unit (stalled for a decade) at St Otteran’s has progressed this year to “detailed design”. UHW’s proposed vital new ward block was supposed to go to “detailed design“ in 2025 but has been pushed back without a whimper to “design feasibility”. 

A new Out-Patients Department with planning permission since 2022, announced by Minister Butler in July 2024, “A key project for UHW, funding will be provided for appraisal of a proposed two-floor vertical extension over the existing Outpatient Department to provide an additional 36 consulting rooms. Those familiar with the hospital will be cognisant of the significance of this confirmation, which will provide much-needed additional capacity.” It has vanished from the HSE Capital Plan altogether.

The Department of Transport burst a gut trying to ruin Waterford Airport. Not a cent for the Port of Waterford, which is hamstrung for lack of berthage capacity, while hundreds of millions goes to Cork and Rosslare ports. Neither the N25 nor N24 around Waterford have received funding. 

The proposed twinning of rail lines from Dublin will stop at Kilkenny, leaving rail access from Waterford to the capital still constrained. The railway from Rosslare to Waterford has been “dropped” from the National Plan. Are we missing something? 

Obviously, with a two all, TD draw, there is no incentive for the system to do anything. Effort and funding is concentrated on political prospects. Down here they see inertia. SF is happy to hold two. FF and FG have entered a kind of Faustian pact to run only one candidate, thus effectively neutering the city. FG won’t rock the boat. Local FF not making an attempt on a second seat says it all. Ms Butler won’t allow it. 

Her failure to press Micheál Martin for a true cabinet seat probably destroyed that possibility going forward and Waterford suffers. Our city is being relegated in the Irish urban hierarchy. 

We have lost massive ground on our once peer cities. The North Quays, surgical hub and SETU engineering (after two decades' delay) building eventually started and we are supposed to swoon. This cannot pass without comment or determined Dáil action by SF. 20,000 people here hoped for better.

After 15 years in the Dáil, David Cullinane knows the score. The system only delivers if it is under pressure or has a strong minister. Those conditions do not exist for Waterford at present and we see the result. 

There is no apolitical state project delivery in Ireland. Money follows power or pressure. Mr Cullinane says about the AMHU, “However, there now needs to be real urgency about what happens next. This project has been talked about for a long time. It must now be moved quickly through the various capital funding stages, with clear timelines for delivery and no unnecessary delays. The priority now has to be to deliver this quickly and urgently.” 

That could be the mantra about every Waterford project awaiting government approval. Stalled, Delayed, Appraisal, Feasibility…six years later…no unnecessary delays!

SF must publicly call out Ministers Butler and Cummins on these issues.