Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 188: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will urgently invest in both reform and providing more beds the health system in 2007. [43179/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The health services are undergoing a period of major change and reform. The National Health Strategy, the Primary Care Strategy as well as the Prospectus, Brennan and Hanly Reports lay out the overall direction for the major changes which are now under way. Government policy is to provide safe, high-quality and accessible services that provide the best possible outcomes for patients and which represent good value for the resources available. This will mean rebalancing service delivery so that those services that can be safely delivered locally are delivered locally and in the most appropriate setting. The Primary Care Strategy provides the road map for the future development of primary care services in Ireland over a period of some 10 years, both as the appropriate service for the delivery of the majority of people's health and social care needs, and to complement the services provided by acute hospitals.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has informed my Department that the following additional in-patient beds and day treatment places are due to be brought into use in 2007:

Midland Hospital Tullamore — 27 in-patient beds and 30 day treatment places in the new hospital

Wexford General Hospital — 19 in-patient beds

St. Vincent's University Hospital, Elm Park — 12 day treatment places and 4 intensive care beds

Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin — 7 oncology day treatment places

University College Hospital Galway — 3 in-patient beds in the new burns unit.

In addition, the HSE is fast-tracking the provision of admission units to alleviate pressures in a number of A & E departments. Admission lounges have been developed at St. James's Hospital (15 beds), Connolly Memorial Hospital (8 beds), St Vincent's Hospital (20 beds), Tallaght Hospital (40 beds), Cork University Hospital (10 beds) and the Mercy Hospital in Cork (4 beds). These admissions lounges enable patients awaiting admission to an acute hospital bed to be managed safely while preserving their right to dignity and privacy. Further admission lounges are scheduled to come on-stream in 2007.

A Steering Group under the chairmanship of the National Director of the National Hospitals Office is reviewing our acute hospital bed requirements up to the year 2020. The Group includes representatives of the Health Service Executive, my Department, the Department of Finance and the Economic and Social Research Institute.

John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 189: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will provide details on all the Health Service Executive leased and rented property; if she will set out the details in respect of each property, the address of the property, the duration of lease to date of expiry, the cost of lease or rent per year and the purpose or usage of the property; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43183/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Deputy's question relates to the exercise by the Health Service Executive of its functions under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to reply directly to the Deputy in relation to the information sought.