Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 125: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the provision of 3,000 acute beds is still Government policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28902/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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An Agreed Programme for Government includes a commitment to expand public hospital beds in line with the health strategy commitment to increase total acute hospital bed capacity by 3,000 by 2011. Substantial investment in additional bed capacity in acute hospitals has already taken place.

Funding has been provided to open an additional 900 inpatient beds/day places in public acute hospitals throughout the country. The Health Service Executive has informed my Department that as of 14 October 2005, 806 of these beds/day places were in place and the remaining 94 beds/day places will come on stream over the coming months.

In addition, a further 450 acute beds/day places are in various stages of planning and development under the Capital Investment Framework 2005-2009. I announced in July this year an initiative which will provide up to an additional 1,000 beds for public patients in public hospitals over the next five years. The Health Service Executive, HSE, has been asked to begin to develop an implementation plan and to prioritise proposals with reference to the public hospitals' requirement for additional bed capacity. Initial discussions have already taken place between my Department and the HSE on this matter.

These additional beds/day places will go most of the way to achieving our commitment in the programme for Government to increase total acute hospital capacity. The health strategy acknowledges that a significant proportion of additional capacity in the acute hospital system will be supplied in future by private providers. My Department, in conjunction with the Health Service Executive, will review public capacity requirements in the acute hospital sector in light of developments since the health strategy was published and the progress of the initiative I announced in July.