Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 114: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the commitments she has made in the completion of phase 2B of Mullingar General Hospital; the timeframe for these works; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27524/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. This includes responsibility for considering new capital proposals or progressing those in the health capital programme. Accordingly, the Department of Health and Children is requesting the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

The Health Service Executive has made provision to progress this development within the health capital investment framework, 2005 to 2009. The project has been sanctioned up to tender stage, which includes completion of detailed design documentation. It was recently decided to fast-track the completion of the fit-out of the ward accommodation in the shelled-out area. This decision was taken to provide additional capacity more quickly than if the full project proceeded as a single construction contract. The design team is preparing detailed drawings with the intention of going to tender in March 2006. A prior indicative notice is to be lodged in the Official Journal of the European Union by mid-October. Staff on site are to be fully consulted as part of the detailed design process. Planning permission is to be sought by the beginning of November, and the target completion date for the fit-out of the shelled area is early 2007. On completion, the fit-out of the shelled accommodation is intended to provide an additional 43 beds, mainly medical and surgical beds.

The design work on the second stage of the project will continue in parallel with the fit-out and equipping of the shelled accommodation project. The second stage will include the provision of the following new facilities including a pathology department, an operating department, a medicine for the elderly-rehabilitation unit, an acute psychiatric unit, a child and adolescent psychiatric unit, an occupational therapy department, administrative accommodation, staff accommodation, education facilities, catering facilities and a new entrance concourse.

The completion of the second stage of the project is intended to provide a further 16 additional beds, mainly for day cases, as well as accommodating the transfer of 50 rehabilitation and acute psychiatric beds from facilities located outside the hospital. In all, there will be 109 additional beds on the hospital campus following the completion of the overall development. It has been estimated by the Health Service Executive that additional revenue funding of the order of €10 million, excluding inflation, will be required on an annual basis to run the shelled-out area when it is fully fitted-out. This estimate reflects a combination of the additional pay and non-pay costs required. Given the significant level of additional annual revenue costs associated with the project, I recently decided that an independent review of the estimate is necessary to ensure that the estimate and staff profile represent best value for money. This review is due to be completed prior to the finalisation of the tender documentation, and it is not anticipated that it will delay the project.