Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 122: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the stage of development at each of the hospital sites designated for the private hospital co-location scheme; and the projected number of beds to be provided in the private hospitals at each site. [32223/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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In July 2005 I issued a policy direction to the Health Service Executive aimed at freeing up additional beds in public hospitals for public patients. This will be achieved through the development of private hospitals on the sites of public hospitals and the transfer of private activity to those hospitals, thereby releasing substantial capacity for public patients in public hospitals. The initiative is expected to provide approximately 1,000 additional beds for public patients over five years. Co-location is the quickest and least expensive means of providing significant additional bed capacity for public patients. No capital outlay is required as the beds in the public hospitals are already in place, having been funded by the Exchequer.

The Board of the Health Service Executive (HSE) has approved preferred bidder status for the development of co-located hospitals at the following six sites: Beaumont Hospital, Cork University Hospital, Limerick Regional Hospital, St. James's Hospital, Waterford Regional Hospital and Sligo General Hospital. A tender in respect of Connolly Hospital has been received and is under consideration. Tallaght Hospital, which is also participating in the co-location initiative, is at an earlier stage of the procurement process. Work is being undertaken to finalise the Invitation to Tender (ITT) for Tallaght Hospital.

The project agreements for the Beaumont, Cork and Limerick sites have been signed. Planning permission has been sought for the Beaumont and Cork projects and has been granted by the local authorities concerned and appealed in both cases to An Bord Pleanala. Planning permission has been granted for the Limerick project. The HSE Board has approved the following total numbers of in-patient and day case beds at the co-located hospitals to be developed at these three sites: Beaumont Hospital — 240; Cork University Hospital — 249; Limerick Regional Hospital — 220.

The precise number of beds at these sites may change slightly as the process is finalised in the contractual negotiations and therefore it is not possible to give a precise answer to the information requested on the number of beds planned for the co-located hospitals at St. James's Hospital, Waterford Regional Hospital, Sligo General Hospital and Connolly Hospital.