Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

The Deputy may not be aware, but when capital projects are approved, Revenue funding is provided in tandem with that approval. Therefore, there will not be a big gap between the completion and commissioning of the facility.

The 14 single rooms provided at St. Vincent's will be a significant improvement and will operate via direct access rather than through the accident and emergency unit. We must also provide greater community-based services. Just last week, I met a young girl who is a cystic fibrosis patient. She indicated to me that her counterparts in other countries can receive many of the services at community level for which she must go to hospital. Professor Drumm, who treated cystic fibrosis patients in Canada, has strong views in that regard.

The HSE has announced it intends to put a screening programme in place later this year. The Deputy may have seen that announcement in the health supplement of The Irish Times about two weeks ago.

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