Phoenix: The hatchetman cometh!

Before the last election, then Senator John Cummins was everywhere. Local wits said that if a car door opened, John would be there to announce it. He stuck to his guns, worked incredibly hard and got himself elected. Tenacity is what it’s all about, chicken dinners, funerals and pressing the flesh. 

The premise was Waterford needs a Fine Gael TD. Elect me and things will change for the better. Minister Cummins is now in post at the Dept. of Planning and Local Government. It's senior hurling now and huge challenges abound. 

State investment drives private investment, but there is not a single, current, government-funded planning or tendered project pending across the acute hospital, SETU, airport, port, rail or FDI sectors for Waterford. Why is that? If some are coming, they are years away. We have long memories about promises. 

These sectors are the vital drivers of the local economy. Minister Cummins trumpets the success of house building locally. It’s great to see, but housing construction alone doesn’t create a thriving local economy. Ireland tried that in 2008, look how that turned out.

The Department of Education recently needed a €646 million injection to fund its 2026 commitments. The Department of Public Expenditure is deeply concerned at education overspending. Increasing staffing numbers, growing special needs education costs and a doubling of the amount spent on school transport are among its concerns. 

“In the last four years the Department of Education received more than €3.4 billion in supplementary funding, including over €500 million last year and €1.09 billion in 2024. Under new Government spending rules, such mid-year supplementary estimates are banned. The Irish Times reports that the projected €500 million-plus education deficit this year would have to be filled by other Ministers having to dip into their own budgets – a move likely to infuriate other members of the Cabinet.” 

From our point of view in Waterford, the news that the Dublin and South East Regional Health Authority, of which we are a part, is already €37 million over budget is a real worry. Cuts are required. If cutting of anything is going to be done, we will suffer. That’s an immutable law arising from our lack of political muscle. 

As part of the financial control measures being implemented immediately, the HSE says “a pause on recruitment will apply cross all non-frontline, non-critical posts management and administrative staff. Exceptions will only be considered where supported by a documented business case and approved at REO level. Agency engagements, extensions, and conversions will now require written prior approval at Regional Executive Officer level. No approval will be granted for agency management and administrative roles. Existing arrangements in place for such roles must cease immediately.” 

Presumably, 24/7 cardiology at UHW will still commence. Knowing the HSE and the inability of Minister Mary Butler to force Waterford demands on her colleagues, anything is possible. Promised new ward block, Outpatient Departments, multi-storey car parks, etc., have all been pushed into the far distance. 

Anyway, UHW CEO Ben O’Sullivan confirmed by letter (PQ 28500) to David Cullinane on April 1, 2026, that 24/7 cardiology would commence in July. 27 whole-time staff were sought by UHW to implement the new service. Only 10 were allocated. That speaks for itself.

The allocation of adequate staff for UHW has only begun in the past few years. The hospital is still the lowest resourced of all the Model 4 hospitals in this country, being approximately 1,000 staff below the others. Its struggle to obtain new capital infrastructure is legendary and has been explored here over in great detail. 

Minister Mary Butler recently indicated to Damien Tiernan that she knew people’s frustrations, but did not, as is her wont, accept any responsibility for the situation. Instead, she shifted responsibility to those who cannot publicly defend themselves, consultants and hospital management. That’s not a very happy situation. 

Part of the problem must centre on the Fine Gael Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. Fine Gael minister in - UHW capital projects out? Over the life of this column, Waterford has had real difficulty in accessing investment from Fine Gael ministers bar none. Fine Gael strength in Carlow/Wexford/Kilkenny is partly responsible. Remember that party’s election in 2011 when new engineering and new business schools at WIT were cancelled? The projects were subsequently amalgamated and one new building is now under construction 15 years after the fact!

Projects and services in Waterford are always an easy mark for government. If it’s a choice between cutting services at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin, the preferred hospital of south Dublin grandees, or UHW (both in the same group), which will suffer? 

It’s the same with new buildings. The spending of state money on fuel subsidies will have dented the public finances. If capital expenditure cuts follow the announced staff moratoriums, then anything is possible. More money was apparently spent on new buildings at St Luke’s Hospital Kilkenny, a Model 3 general hospital, in the past five years than on UHW. A new multi-storey car park can be built in Wexford General Hospital (Model 3), while UHW, the regional Model tertiary referral hospital, must consider Park and Ride schemes to ease the gross congestion on its campus. 

Plans come and plans vanish at UHW. Timelines for new buildings are non-existent. Minister Butler makes excuses (“it’s the consultant contract’s fault!”) which sound increasingly far-fetched and unacceptable to the public at large. 

Sinn Fein is stuck at 22% in the polls and despite two seats and 20,000 first preference votes here, is not the panacea for our ills as long as the current FF/FG/Ind grouping and the public finances hold.

Just remember, Waterford is not the government’s favourite child. If cutting of anything has to be done, it should be done in those places which have been continually bloated with state funding and resources and not here! Cork and Dublin over-staffed empires should be targeted, but the political, medical, university lobby will ensure they won’t be. 

Many first time TDs fall at their second election. John Cummins will not want that and so must prove his Waterford worth if things get sticky. He is dogged enough at least to stand up for us, where Minister Butler usually acquiesces. He will be called upon to defend Waterford’s corner.