The Taoiseach claims the announcement of a new hospital in Raheen is a "positive development overall" for the Midwest. Responding to Shannon Sinn Féin Deputy Donna McGettigan in the Dáil, Micheál Martin has confirmed he knew about the Health Minister's decision to locate the facility at the Limerick site prior to the announcement. Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has suggested that the campus could also be the location of the planned new emergency department down the line. The Taoiseach says the promise of additional services at Ennis Hospital will be of benefit to this county.