Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

The co-location programme is aimed at freeing up public acute hospital capacity for use for public patients and to enhance overall acute capacity at public hospital sites.

The renewed programme for Government re-affirms the Government's commitment to the current co-location programme. This means that the procurement process which is underway will continue. Projects will be developed within the terms of those project agreements which have been signed or which may be signed. Value for money criteria remain in place and are to be met by each project.

Considerable work has been done by the HSE and the preferred bidders despite, in recent times, the effects of the banking crisis on the timing and arrangement of large scale finance for major capital projects in every sector. Preferred bidders have been selected for the Beaumont, Cork University, Limerick Regional, St. James's, Sligo and Waterford Regional Hospital projects. Project agreements for the first four projects have been signed. Planning permission has been granted in respect of three of these and a planning application has been made in the case of the other project. The necessary preparatory work for the project agreements in respect of the Waterford Regional Hospital and Sligo Hospital projects is proceeding.

The total number of in-patient and day beds proposed in these six facilities is in excess of 1,200. This is exclusive of critical care beds, which will be provided in proportion to the in-patient capacity in each hospital. I am arranging to provide the Deputy with a tabular statement setting out the details for each of the projects. Two further projects at Connolly and Tallaght Hospitals are at earlier stages of the procurement process.

The HSE estimates that, from the start of building, the overall construction and commissioning period for the projects will be approximately 28 to 36 months.

See this speech in context