Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 59: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the discussions she has had with the Health Service Executive regarding the proposed regional hospital for the north east; the role of her Department in determining the next steps with regard to this plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16239/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Service Executive has recently received the report of a consultancy firm, which it commissioned to carry out an independent study on a possible location for the new Regional Hospital. The study took account of various criteria including demographics, access, planning and development considerations and interdependencies.

I received a briefing recently from the HSE and the consultants who prepared the report on the key findings of the study. The report was considered by the Board of the HSE on 9th April and the contents were noted by the Board. No decision has been taken by the Government or by the HSE on the location of the new hospital.

The immediate task for the HSE is to ensure that services in the region are organised to optimise patient safety. The first step in the development of a fully integrated regional health service is to ensure that the people of the North East have local access to both routine planned care and immediate life saving emergency care. Over the next few years, in preparation for all acute emergency in-patient care and complex planned care being provided at a regional centre, the existing five hospitals will continue to improve services by further merger of their acute care specialties.