Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Obviously, some of the other hospitals in the region, rather than being acute hospitals, will develop services probably more orientated towards day cases and particular services but not sophisticated surgery. He has made that clear. To do that will require significant resources to develop the hospitals that are considered to be the acute hospitals — having coronary care units, intensive care units and the other sophisticated services required. Those services will not be available in all five hospitals. That is the process that is being developed and has been stepped up in recent years. All of the hospitals will be there but will replicate or duplicate the same services or specialties. Clearly that is the position.

The HSE did commission its own independent study. The view of the consultancy firm was for a possible location for one regional hospital in the area. Obviously that would not mean that all the other regional hospitals would close but that would be the centre of excellence that would carry the main specialties. The position is that the HSE has only now advised the Department that it has received a report, prepared by a consultancy firm which it commissioned to carry out an independent study on a possible location for a regional hospital. The study was to take account of the various criteria, looking to the next ten and 20 years of demographics, access, planning, development considerations and other inter-dependencies. I have not seen that report, or a report on that report. I chaired the health committee but I have not seen any outline of the report. I understand it has not been discussed by the board of the HSE. I understand it is on the agenda for tomorrow. The Deputy asked if the Government has signed up to something nobody has seen, that has not been discussed by the HSE and if it has provided resources for that and the answer is we have not made that decision. It would not have been wise if we had made that decision.

We have huge resources in the national development plan for health, some of which are designated and included in the multi-annual report. Every year we issue a detailed report, down to the last few hundred thousand euro of what will be spent by the HSE across the country. It is included in the multi-annual report and block figures are included for future developments which are not specified. If the Deputy asks me if we are going to start this hospital, agree the location and have it built in the space of the next national development plan, by 2012, I do not think it is likely based on the time it takes to undertake major hospital developments. It is not going to happen.

Is it seen as best practice that we agree on one state-of-the-art hospital for the north east? If all the expert opinion is that this should be done, putting main specialties and critical mass of the hospital for that region into one location, the Government will agree. This must come secondary to what the Government is adamant on. We want to see existing services for the present day population — people who need services now — built up and properly maintained and sustained for the future. Longer term plans are for the longer term and we do not want to start closing and displacing services, making life difficult for the present day population, particularly the aged, in advance of having a clearly articulated plan in the long term.

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