Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 232: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will report on the waiting list numbers for each of the long-term care facilities in the greater Dublin area; the steps that have been taken to address the shortage of spaces in long term care facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16695/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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As part of the overall investment package for the development of services for older people, my Department and the Health Service Executive (HSE) has prioritised the delivery of additional public continuing care beds through the development of community nursing units in large urban centres in both Dublin and Cork together with the expansion and the development of additional facilities across all regions. The HSE proposes to expand public capacity by 397 beds in 2007 and by 408 in 2008. The running costs in full year of this additional public capacity will be €42m.

In 2006, the HSE contracted a total of 1,050 extra beds in the private nursing home sector. A total of €28m is being allocated to cover the full year cost in 2007 of these beds. In addition, the HSE is planning to contract a further 350 beds in 2007 at a cost of €12m. 220 of these will be procured in the Greater Dublin area and 100 will be procured in HSE South.

Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to provide the particular details requested by the Deputy in respect of the waiting list numbers for each of the long-term care facilities in the greater Dublin area. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the information co-ordinated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.