Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 78: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the additional resources she will provide in 2010 for Crumlin Children's Hospital, Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45527/09]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 84: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the progress made in co-operation between her Department, the Health Service Executive and the board of Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, Dublin, to reduce the waiting time for heart operations at the hospital; when the proposed extra critical care beds will be in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45561/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 84 together.

The HSE have not yet been notified of their budget allocation for 2010. When the Government has agreed on the budget allocation for the HSE, it will then be a matter for the Health Service Executive to decide the allocations to individual agencies following on from the Government's budgetary decisions. Until such time as the HSE is notified of its budget, it is not is a position to say what resources will be provided to Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin for 2010.

Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin (OLCHC) 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 2009 Service Plan.

OLCHC is the National Centre for Paediatric Cardiology & Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. The demand for paediatric cardiac surgery has increased due to increased birth rate and the success rates for children who then require further staged surgery. OLCHC is carrying out significantly more cardiac operations than 3 years ago. Clinical need or timing for surgery is determined by evidence based best medical practice and the optimal timing for surgery is decided by the multidisciplinary team at the weekly Joint Cardiac Conference at the hospital. In light of the issues attached to the Cardiac Programme, it has been protected from the theatre closures put in place by the hospital for breakeven purposes.

The HSE have worked with the Paediatric Critical Care Network (PCCN) to address the issue of the need for additional paediatric intensive care beds. A new build that will include the replacement of 13 paediatric intensive care beds and an additional 4 beds, providing a total of 17 beds, has been agreed as a new development at Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin. A Design Team has been appointed and work is well underway on this development. It is anticipated that the new development will be completed within an eighteen month programme and is therefore scheduled to be opened in 2011. Provision is also being considered for potential future expansion to provide 5 additional ICU beds, subject to approval. If this phase was to be implemented it would then bring the total number of ICU beds at OLCHC to 30.

On an interim basis to address the current waiting list for paediatric cardiac patients, the HSE are in discussions with OLCHC and an initiative will commence shortly in relation to this list. It is intended to manage the Cardiology waiting lists in the same way as the waiting lists for patients with scoliosis were managed with OLCHC earlier this year.