Sir, – The Taoiseach's recent admission in the Dáil that the emergency department at Galway University Hospital is not fit for purpose is perhaps not quite as astonishing as it may first sound ("Galway hospital emergency unit not fit for purpose, admits Kenny", December 2nd). As he will call an election early next year I suggest that his utterance has been carefully fashioned to take the wind out of the sails of the Opposition parties and to minimise the negative fallout of the scheduled strike action by the nurses and midwives. Perhaps at next year's general election the electorate will deem him "not fit for purpose"? – Yours, etc,
DON TALLON,
Moycullen,
Co Galway.