John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 227: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the progress in extending the CAT scan services at St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, to out-of-service hours; if she has costed the number of times patients have been sent from Kilkenny to other hospitals for the service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1198/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, 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 is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services.

Responsibility for the provision of services at St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, rests with the executive. My Department has requested the chief officer for the executive's south-eastern area to investigate the matter raised and reply directly to the Deputy.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 228: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the reason a proposal from a private company to provide CAT scan and other services on the grounds of St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, has not been approved; and her views on such public-private partnerships. [1199/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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My Department is aware of a previous proposal to provide a private MRI facility on the grounds of St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny. Following discussions with the South Eastern Health Board last year it was agreed that the issues involved would be kept under review in the light of the board's regional MRI requirements. Public CAT scanning facilities are already on site at the hospital and my Department is not aware of proposals to develop a private CAT scanning facility there.

It is the Government's policy, as outlined in the health strategy, to increase the capacity of the acute hospital system to treat public patients. A significant proportion of this additional capacity will be supplied in the future by private providers. I am in the process of developing an overall policy framework which will identify the policy issues which need to be addressed and the key criteria to be applied in developing private facilities on public hospital sites.