Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

The service plan and any adjustment of it must be approved by the Minister and laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. That is in the 2004 Act and will be complied with. We are making radical changes in what happens in the hospitals with terrific clinical leadership, which has emerged for the first time.

Deputy Ferris asked about an audit. I do not know who is supposed to carry out the audit. We have had health and safety reports and fire reports on some of the long-term facilities and people do not seem to be very happy to accept them. Experts on safety from either a health and safety or fire point of view are often challenged in this House when recommendations are being implemented.

Deputy Ferris asked a similar question on hospitals to Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. There is no plan to close any hospital in the country. Major reform is taking place in the north east, particularly regarding what happens between Monaghan and Cavan where there is a single hospital on two sites. There is reconfiguration on what happens in each site. The more acute services happen in Cavan and many of the day procedures happen in Monaghan. That is well documented. Deputy Ferris's colleague recently attended a meeting with me and all the Oireachtas Members for Cavan-Monaghan with the chief executive officer of the HSE.

I do not have details on the disadvantaged area projects the Deputy mentioned. If he submits them to my office, I will seek to get a response for him.

See this speech in context