Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

A key element of this process will involve the Health Service Executive inviting the public and other interested parties to make a submission on the hospital location. The HSE will place advertisements in the national and local newspapers in the north east shortly and submissions will be analysed by the consultancy as part of the location study. The consultancy will produce an independent report, which will be submitted to the steering group and then brought to the management team of the HSE and the HSE board for consideration. It is expected that the recommendation of the board will be brought when this process is complete.

It should be emphasised that the HSE has given the Minister an assurance that, in progressing the re-organisation of services in the north east, there will be no discontinuation of existing services until suitable alternative arrangements have been put in place.

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