Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 34: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the way she will ensure that families who would rely on access to respite care in Leopardstown Park Hospital in south Dublin will be able to access this care if proposals to suspend it are implemented; if her attention has been drawn to threats to this service in other parts of the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16319/08]

Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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With regard to Leopardstown Park Hospital, I understand that the HSE met with the CEO and Chairman of the Board on Friday 25th April. It was possible through this meeting to draft a mechanism that would allow the hospital to continue respite care. It was agreed that the CEO and Chairman would contact the members of the Board of the hospital with a view to having this draft mechanism endorsed. In the interim it was agreed that no respite services would be curtailed in advance of the Board's consideration of the plan.

A number of respite services nationally, have advised that for a variety of reasons, including staffing and budgetary reasons they will have to curtail respite services during the summer months particularly. All of these units are re-examining and prioritising bed allocations in the light of current service pressures in their particular areas. The HSE has advised that it is currently reviewing the position in relation to bed closures as a matter of urgency with a view to securing an early reopening of closed beds in Dublin Mid-Leinster using all available revenue streams.