Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. It is timely as the Departments of Health and Public Expenditure and Reform are facing into the mid-term review of the capital spend. I appreciate it and it is helpful for the officials in my Department in trying to secure necessary funding for very important projects. The Deputy made the point very well about the importance not just of this project as a standalone issue but it serves a population of more than 220,000 people. It is networked with bigger hospitals in Dublin, with an overall benefit accruing to the hospitals with the supply of an important service. I welcome Deputy Heydon's focus on this project. It is vital that my Department gets this funding under the mid-term review to progress this worthy project.

I welcome the opportunity to update the House on this Naas General Hospital project. As the Deputy will be aware, my colleague, the Minister for Health, met the management of Naas hospital in April 2017 to discuss the plans for increased endoscopy and other health care services. The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group advised that this new development is a key strategic priority for the group. This development would help to clear the significant urgent scopes waiting list and Naas hospital would become a major ambulatory centre within the hospital group. This development would also enable significant strategic links to be developed between Naas, Tallaght and St. James's hospitals.

The project to be delivered at Naas General Hospital is more extensive than the endoscopy services department and associated works. It also includes accommodation and ancillary services to support the new physical medicine, physical therapy, oncology services and day procedures departments; a duplex - rather than simplex - reverse osmosis filtration system; and two lifts. All stages of capital projects, including the design and tendering processes, are subject to review to ensure the projects deliver value for money. This includes, where possible, future proofing to ensure capital developments meet not just current standards but that provision is made for additional capacity and improved equipping, and that these are addressed appropriately. This has resulted in a significant increase in the scope of the project and as a consequence its estimated cost.

I can confirm the Department has forwarded its submission under the mid-term review of the capital programme to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The submission is based on the projected funding requirement arising from existing commitments, strategies, demand-led service needs and commitments contained in the programme for partnership Government. At this stage in the process it is not proposed to specify the individual project details contained in the Department's submission. However, as with all health care projects, including this project, further investment in hospitals must be considered within the overall acute hospital sector infrastructure programme, the prioritised needs of the hospital groups and within the overall capital envelope available to the health service. I will be happy to keep the Deputy updated on this important project.

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