Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 362: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children not to downgrade Ennis General Hospital, particularly with regard to the accident and emergency service; and if the 103,000 people in Clare will be given the maximum support on this matter. [1359/06]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 457: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the report of the national task force on medical staffing as it relates to Ennis General Hospital is Government policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2326/06]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 459: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if Ennis General Hospital will retain a 24-hour, seven-day, consultant-led accident and emergency service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2328/06]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 460: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if Ennis General Hospital will have full acute medical and acute surgery services on site; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2329/06]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 463: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the investment in Ennis General Hospital will result in the provision of all the specialist clinics proposed by the report of the national task force on medical staffing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2332/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 362, 457, 459, 460 and 463, together.

The report of the national task force on medical staffing, known as the Hanly report, makes a series of important recommendations about the development of hospital services. These covered issues such as the changes needed in non-consultant hospital doctor, NCHD, work patterns, reform of medical education and training, the need for a significantly revised contract for medical consultants and an increase in the number of consultants and the reorganisation of acute hospital services.

In the debate about the future organisation of acute hospital services, it is important to remember that we are obliged to implement the European working time directive, which involves a considerable, and welcome, reduction in the working hours of NCHDs. We need to find alternative ways of providing services in our acute hospitals so that doctors can work reasonable hours and patients can be sure of a top quality service at all times.

This means looking carefully at how we configure our acute services but it certainly does not mean closing hospitals or downgrading them. There is substantial scope for increasing the services provided in many hospitals such as Ennis. We need to harness the potential of every acute hospital to provide the best possible service to the local community.

We must decentralise as much as possible of the elective treatments currently provided in the larger acute hospitals to smaller hospitals. If properly structured and developed, the smaller hospitals could take on significantly more of these treatments. Far from reducing the importance of smaller hospitals, the Government is committed to expanding considerably the services that can safely be provided within local communities.

The Government is committed to supporting and developing critical services, including key areas such as accident and emergency services in hospitals, which should open in line with patient need.

We are committed to developing facilities at Ennis General Hospital under the first phase of the capital developments proposed, which will include new and upgraded facilities in ward areas, radiology, accident and emergency, and out-patients.

The Health Service Executive has been given the task of developing regional hospital services based on the recommendations of the task force report. The key priority is to ensure that patients, wherever they live, have access to high quality hospital care.