Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if there are plans to provide beds for the long-term nursing care of older patients in any of the proposed co-located hospitals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41715/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The aim of the acute hospital co-location initiative is to make available approximately 1,000 additional public acute hospital beds for public patients by transferring private activity, with some limited exceptions, from public acute hospitals to co-located private hospitals.

The policy direction on the acute hospital co location initiative which issued to the HSE in July 2005 did not encompass long term residential care beds.

The long-term residential care fast-track initiative, which commenced in 2007 and is continuing until 2010, aims to provide 860 new intermediate and long-term residential care beds. The latest information received from the Health Service Executive indicates that 188 beds were provided in 2007 and that 233 and 422 are to be provided in 2008 and 2009 respectively. The final 17 beds will be provided in 2010. Of the 860 beds, 75 are in the HSE West, 316 are in the HSE South, 242 are in the HSE Dublin North East and 227 are in the HSE Mid-Leinster.