Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

If Deputies want to raise serious issues and are in any way interested in the patients in Dundalk, they should at least listen to the facts. If they are merely interested in playing tabloid headlines, that is all right too and there is no point in me answering. If Deputies want information for the people in County Louth, they should at least listen to the facts.

The work was necessary. The CT scanner obviously cannot be brought in and plugged into a wall. A sum of €700,000 was required for necessary work. A committee within the area was set up to look at all the aspects of purchasing a CT scanner and it will be commissioned by March 2007 — I did not state or ask for a specific date. It will be up and running afterwards.

The HSE worked out the agreement and it took some time, as is always the case, to decide the staffing levels required. Those negotiations are finished. Deputy Kenny referred to 24-hour cover seven days a week. I do not wish that our machines worked 24-7 because that would be unreasonable but, as the Deputy will be aware, one of the issues with reform of the health service is that we want to extend the hours in which sophisticated machinery works. Whatever hours are settled on, the matter has been agreed.

In reply to Deputy Kenny's question, €10 million is being invested in Dundalk hospital, we purchased a €2 million CT scanner, €700,000 of electrical work is under way and is to be finished next month, the staff is in place for whatever was agreed between the HSE and the local management for the running of it and it will be operational shortly after it is fully installed in March.

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