Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as teacht isteach go dtí an seomra seo inniú. I have a few queries on hospital services. It is good that the Minister is here and it follows on from the briefing that took place in Buswells Hotel when he announced the situation regarding the grouping of hospitals. In the north east we have major concerns. They start from the individual hospitals, particularly regarding Our Lady's Hospital, Navan, which is one of the nine small hospitals earmarked in the report to lose their accident and emergency and intensive care services. Navan is part of a miscellaneous group that does not relate to the geographical area. The groups will decide within a year how to deal with the issues in the report. Could the Minister clarify what will happen to the full-time accident and emergency facility in Navan? The new facility that is being built in Navan was referred to by the Minister of State, Deputy McGinley, on behalf of the Government in the Seanad on the Adjournment debate a few weeks as an emergency department-minor injury unit. I want absolute clarity from the Minister on what is planned for Navan regarding that and the intensive care situation.

A number of hospitals were given guarantees in the hospital group report including Waterford, Tralee, Wexford and Letterkenny. No such guarantees were given regarding services in Drogheda and Navan. I want the Minister to explain those omissions and the inclusions of particular hospitals. Wexford always seems to do quite well when public expenditure is at stake in this country at the moment. Maybe that is just the way of politics. That seems to be how things are working. It got guarantees on the various services there.

There is major concern about the building of a regional hospital. Before the election, the Minister's party gave a commitment that it would build a regional hospital for the north east but the Minister's representatives, Deputies in the constituencies of Meath and a number of councillors and business associates said they were in negotiations with developers and investors about building a regional hospital in Navan. After Christmas, one of the Minister's party colleagues stated that the Department of Health and the HSE were involved in those negotiations and I would like the Minister to set out the exact position on those negotiations which his party colleagues in County Meath claim are taking place and involving his party colleagues and the HSE. Is there anything happening regarding that situation?

Perhaps the Minister might have good news for us about the regional hospital today. Two weeks ago Deputy Regina Doherty announced it was all still going full steam ahead and that is the position on the ground but I would like the Minister to set out the exact position from his point of view. Is it the way of the future that individual Deputies, politicians and business people will be negotiating Department of Health hospital plans or does the Minister have control over that? Perhaps he could give an answer to the people of County Meath. I look forward to hearing from the Minister about that.