Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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As the first two items are being taken together each Deputy has five minutes and the Minister of State has ten minutes to reply.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to share time with Deputy Sherlock. One of the issues Deputy Sherlock and I have in common is Mallow General Hospital. I congratulate Deputy Sherlock on his efforts for the hospital over many years.

Mallow General Hospital is just outside my constituency but serves many people from Cork North-West stretching back to Limerick West. Once, Mallow General Hospital was threatened with closure but I am pleased that threat has been lifted. What is needed is to ensure the proper facilities are put in place. There have been a number of commitments in regard to Mallow General Hospital and in recent years many improvements have been made.

I ask the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children to outline his Department's vision and that of the Health Service Executive for the future of Mallow General Hospital. I have been a patient of that hospital as have members of my family and I cannot praise sufficiently the level of care provided. Many of my constituents who have had reason to be patients of Mallow General Hospital have spoken of the excellent care provided to them.

Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I thank Deputy Moynihan for his kind remarks but I hope he will impress the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste with the same remarks. In 2001 there was a permanent radiologist in Mallow General Hospital. However, when an application was made to Comhairle na nOspidéal, Mr. Donie Ormond, the Fianna Fáil member who was vice-chairman of Comhairle na nOspidéal at the time, suggested that two should be appointed, that Mallow General Hospital should have seven sessions and Cork University Hospital should have four sessions rather than Mallow having ten sessions and Cork University Hospital having one session. The volume of work in Mallow General Hospital is sufficient to warrant the appointment of a radiologist directly to Mallow. This is five years after the issue was raised in the first instance. That is outrageous at this stage.

Progress is not being made and the delay is for the purpose of downgrading Mallow General Hospital and have patients transferred to Cork University Hospital. I have no doubt about that.

Mallow is a developing urban area that is designated hub town. Mallow General Hospital serves a population of 90,000 to 100,000 people and allows them access acute accident and emergency services as well as medical and surgical services within the accepted golden hour. The general practitioners in that region back up the case. We demand action as we believe there is no reason the hospital which has been served by a temporary radiologist for the past five years should not have a permanent radiologist appointed now.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, wrote to me on 25 March stating, "it is a matter for the Health Service Executive. Under the Act the executive has responsibility to manage and deliver the service." On 19 April 2005 the medical manpower manager, Cork University Hospital, in the Cork region said, "The outstanding issue is funding for which we are still awaiting authorisation". The reason it is not happening is that we are waiting for funding.

A sum of €1.5 million has been collected for a CT scanner approved in 2004. We were informed the scanner would be installed in an area occupied by a staff canteen adjacent to a radiology department. To date nothing has happened.

In Mallow General Hospital 90% of the people can be treated in the general hospital system. In Cork University Hospital the daily cost per patient is €747 while in Mallow General Hospital the cost is €477. Given that the facts are now on the record of this Dáil I hope the Minister of State will act on this.

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. This includes responsibility for the provision of acute hospital services and the appointment of new or replacement consultant posts. As such, the Department of Health and Children no longer has a role in regard to funding arrangements for individual consultant posts.

Provision of radiology services at Mallow General Hospital had been the subject of detailed discussion between Comhairle na nOspidéal and the former Southern Health Board up to 2004. Comhairle na nOspidéal had advised that a stand alone single-handed consultant appointment could not be sustained. Considerable efforts have been made to find a solution to resolve the problem of consultant radiology staffing cover at Mallow General Hospital, including the possibility of partnership arrangements with Cork city hospitals. It is now a matter for the Health Service Executive national hospitals' office to ensure the radiology service at Mallow General Hospital is supported to meet the needs of the local population.

Capital funding has been allocated for the provision of a CT scanner at Mallow General Hospital. This will improve the quality of services to patients and avoid difficulty in transferring such cases to and from Cork city hospitals, as occurs at present.

The Department of Health and Children has been informed by the HSE southern area that the CT scanner will need to be housed in purpose-built accommodation adjoining the radiology department. This will involve careful architectural and planning work. Tender specifications for the purchase of the CT scanner in accordance with EU procurement directives are also being prepared and will be placed in the EU Journal shortly. The Department of Health and Children has been assured that the HSE southern area is moving as quickly as possible on the project.

Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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The Government must provide the finance.