Mr. Derek Tierney:

Approving the progression of the elective hospitals in Cork and Galway is a longer-term and more strategic intervention. Looking at demographic pressures we will face in this decade, the plan for the surgical hubs is to style them on the Reeves Day Surgery Centre that opened in Tallaght which I think took under 16 months to get up, running and mobilised, but I am open to correction. Mr. McCallion might have more information about that. The plan is to style it on what worked in Tallaght and look at opportunities to see how we can mobilise five similar centres around the country in urban centres as a way to increase capacity to deal with waiting lists. Limited procedures and specialties will be dealt with in the first instance while we wait for the longer-term intervention. The HSE has established a project group to examine that question. What is the planning consent framework? How long does it take to design? How can we engage with the market to procure mobile or temporary theatres and infrastructure? Perhaps Mr. McCallion will want to add to that.