John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 93: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when she will publish the report commissioned to review maternity hospitals in Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45658/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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In May 2007 the HSE commissioned KPMG consultants to undertake an independent review of maternity and gynaecology services in the Greater Dublin area.

KPMG were asked to focus on four key areas:

to build on the strengths of the current service configuration and model of care;

to define the optimal configuration of maternity, gynaecology and neonatology services for the Greater Dublin Area;

to identify the optimal location of services; and

to provide a roadmap for the future, outlining the steps required to get from where the service is now to the vision for the future.

The review was informed by a detailed analysis of current service delivery, an extensive stakeholder interview programme and a series of workshops with a wide range of stakeholders. It also included international analysis of maternity and gynaecology service configurations and best practice models of care.

The Report was presented to the HSE Board for information on 13th November. The findings have also been presented to the Joint Standing Committee of the Dublin Maternity Hospitals and to the Chief Executive Officers of the Mater, St Vincent's and Tallaght Hospitals in the context of the recommendation in the Report that services at the three existing maternity hospitals should transfer to these sites. Representatives from the HSE also met with the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to discuss the findings of the Report.

The HSE held a further feedback session recently with representatives of the maternity hospitals and the wider group of stakeholders who had engaged with KPMG during the review, including consumer groups. The report will be published on the HSE website shortly.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if and when she will ensure that the same quality standards that are required of public hospitals are also applied to private hospitals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45488/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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A core function of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is to set standards on safety and quality of health services and to monitor enforcement of those standards in an open and transparent way. The Health Act 2007 gives HIQA strong powers in this area in relation to services provided by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and bodies funded by the HSE to provide services on their behalf. The process by which such a regulatory regime is introduced first in the public sector is a feature of similar developments in other jurisdictions.

HIQA has developed National Quality Standards in areas such as: Symptomatic Breast Disease Standards, National Hygiene Standards and National Standards for Infection Prevention and Control and have commenced work on the development of National Quality Standards for acute hospitals in the public acute hospital sector. In addition, there is already in existence extensive legislation governing the activities of healthcare professionals which includes those operating in the private sector.

In January 2007, as part of the Government's commitment to ensuring patient safety and quality in our health services, I established a Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance to develop clear and practical recommendations to ensure that quality and safety of care for patients is paramount within the healthcare system. The Commission's Report — 'Building a Culture of Patient Safety' — was published in August 2008.

The most significant recommendation of the report is the introduction of a licensing system for all health services providers both public and private and such a system should commence with application to the acute hospitals. I am currently considering the Commission's recommendations in detail and I intend to bring the report, together with a proposed implementation strategy, to Government soon.