Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 186: To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 246 of 22 September, when he will complete his review of the proposed bed closures at Mount Carmel Hospital, Clonakilty, County Cork. [26703/11]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The Deputy will appreciate that all developments have to be addressed in the light of the current economic and budgetary pressures and any decisions taken by the Executive must have regard to this and the current moratorium on the recruitment of nursing and non-nursing staff.

Following his appointment as Minister for Health my colleague Dr Reilly T.D. instructed the HSE to advise him of situations where it was planning to withdraw residential care for older people. In this regard the HSE notified the Minister of the proposal to reduce the number of long stay beds at Mount Carmel, Clonakilty, County Cork. Each HSE area, including the Local Health Office in Cork has been asked to make a rigorous examination of how existing funding might be re-allocated to ensure maximum safe service provision and the HSE proposal is being considered in this context.

As the Deputy is aware the Department is currently reviewing the provision of public residential care in the light of the need to meet national standards and regulations, local demographic pressures and public and private provision. The review will serve for a platform for discussion and will inform the development of an overall strategy on how the HSE should continue to provide this service in future in view of current budgetary and other pressures. The review must also be seen in the light of the wider health reform programme to which the Government is committed, and the position of social care services in a future health service. The position in relation to individual units, including Clonakilty, will be contemplated within this review. There is no separate review of Clonakilty proposed at this time.