Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 45: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position in regard to her plans for co-location; the full extent of funding already spent or committed in this regard; the degree to which it is possible to recover expenditure or commitments entered into to date; her plans for the delivery of health services in the public and private sector for the future; the extent to which such policy is expected to converge with the various major reports on the future of the health services commissioned by her Department in the past eight years; if her attention has been drawn to the view held by some health experts that all hospitals and health facilities such as health centres should be centres of excellence and that only the highest standards should apply in all such locations and that future investment in the health services should not be solely for centres of excellence and the expense of all other facilities throughout the community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20648/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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While the co-location initiative is a complex process, it is an efficient means of delivering extra bed capacity for the public hospital system. Significant progress has been made in advancing the individual projects involved. The Board of the HSE has approved preferred bidder status for the development of co-located hospitals at Beaumont, Cork University, the Mid-Western Regional Limerick, St. James's, Waterford Regional and Sligo General Hospitals. Project Agreements for the Beaumont, Cork, Limerick and St James's projects have been signed.

I assume that the Deputy's questions regarding expenditure refer to the spending incurred by the HSE on its legal and other expenses in respect of the co-location initiative. Each of the preferred bidders under the co-location initiative is required to pay a deposit to the HSE on the signing of the project agreement and this is non refundable The intention of this requirement is to allow the HSE to recoup the expenses that it has incurred in this context.

The Deputy's question also refers to patient safety issues in the private sector. The fundamental objective of Government health policy is to maximise the health status of the population. The Government is committed to ensuring quality health services, delivered efficiently and effectively. Ensuring patient safety is paramount, so that people can have confidence in the services and that the best possible patient outcomes are achieved.

The private healthcare sector plays a significant role in the provision of health and personal social services in Ireland. Such private healthcare provision spans from general practitioner services through private beds in public hospitals and private hospitals to private nursing homes. In addition, the National Treatment Purchase Fund purchases treatment primarily from private hospitals and has been very successful in reducing the length of time public patients have to wait for hospital treatment.

In January 2007, I established the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance and it reported to me in July 2008. The Government recently accepted the Commission's report and approved the commencement of work on the drawing up of legislation to give effect to its central recommendation on the licensing of both public and private healthcare providers. Co-located hospitals would be subject to licensing and any other standards that are introduced. Other recommendations to be implemented include the introduction of a programme of clinical audit across all health services, adverse event reporting, learning dissemination and a system of credentialing for healthcare professionals right across the public healthcare system.