Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 179: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position in relation to the closure of wards in Crumlin children's hospital, Dublin; if, in view of the consequences that this closure will cause, the distress that the prospective closure is causing and will continue to cause, the wards will be kept open; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21113/09]

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 196: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will instruct the Health Service Executive not to close any services provided at Crumlin children's hospital as part of their response to budgetary changes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21360/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 179 and 196 together.

In common with all hospitals, Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin is addressing the challenge of delivering a high quality service to its patients, while remaining within budget. The Hospital is committed to providing the full level of services that it promised in its service plan for 2009. The top priority will be to protect patient care.

So far this year, Crumlin Hospital has delivered more treatments to patients than for the same period last year. In the first three months of 2009 there were 2,745 treatments for children as in-patients and 3,841 as day cases– up by 244 over 2008. Crumlin also had 21,252 attendances at the out-patient department – up by 1,041 from the first quarter of last year.

The allocation to Crumlin for 2009 is €139.6m, an increase of some 39% over the last five years. This includes a reduction of 3% this year over 2008, in line with the budgetary constraints facing the entire public sector and the wider economy. A particular challenge for the Hospital is that it is operating at some 100 posts above its employment ceiling – it employed 1,650 people (wholetime equivalents) at the end of March compared with its ceiling of 1,550. This is contributing to its current financial difficulties.

The HSE is working closely with Crumlin Hospital to achieve an agreed programme of savings, totalling €6.5m this year. The focus of these savings will be on non-pay areas of expenditure and on protecting front-line services. On this basis, the HSE believes that the Hospital will achieve a break-even position this year.

I believe that we need to look more strategically at the way in which we provide paediatric services in Dublin. In 2009 the Government will provide over €250m for the running of three paediatric hospitals in Dublin – Crumlin, Temple Street and Tallaght. We can achieve significant cost savings if services and practices are more closely integrated across the three hospital sites, even before the new National Paediatric Hospital has been completed. With this in mind, the HSE is pursuing ways in which services across the three hospitals can best be co-ordinated, to avoid unnecessary duplication and to achieve savings that can be put back into patient care.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 180: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will not to allow closure of beds in a hospital (details supplied) in County Galway. [21125/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 181: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will report on the type, cost and commissioning date of a CAT scanner for Ennis General Hospital, County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21126/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.