Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 102: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the financial state of hospitals nationwide; the number which will over-spend their allocated budgets; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13087/09]

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 222: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason for the reduction in funding to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital of €1,608,800 for inpatient services and €325,659 in respect of ED/accident and emergency services. [13327/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 222 together.

In the National Service Plan 2009, the HSE committed to deliver the same level of activity in 2009 as in 2008. In order to deliver this level of services the HSE will be reconfiguring many frontline services. This is in keeping with the overall strategic direction as set out in the HSE Corporate Plan 2008-2011 and includes: conversion of in-patient work to day case work, a focus on reducing patients length of stay in acute hospitals, reduction of in-patient bed numbers and associated costs and the provision of more services in community settings, thus reducing the dependency on in-patient beds. Arising from this strategy hospital budgets have been adjusted accordingly. As the details of each hospital budget and the monitoring and control of their budgets is a matter for the HSE I have asked the Executive to reply directly to the Deputy.