Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 628: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the plans to reconfigure medical services between St. Columcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown and St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, and recognising that, under current protocols, the majority of heart attack, stroke and serious trauma patients bypass St. Columcille's for St. Vincent's the current numbers of acute beds in each of St. Columcille's and St. Vincent's; if this number will change as a result of the reconfiguration of services; the current budgets for each hospital; if these budgets, or the proportional relationship between them, will change as a result of the reconfiguration of services; if, following the reconfiguration, patients presenting at Loughlinstown with pneumonia-type conditions, especially elderly patients, will be admitted and receive inpatient treatment there, or will be referred instead to St. Vincent's; if, following the reconfiguration, ambulances attending to patients with pneumonia-type conditions, especially elderly patients, in the catchment area for St. Columcille's, will deliver them to St. Columcille's, or will instead bypass St. Columcille's and deliver them to St. Vincent's; if, following the reconfiguration, St. Columcille's will continue to operate an intensive care unit; the capacity of the coronary care unit at St. Vincent's; if, following the reconfiguration, the capacity of the coronary care unit at St. Vincent's will be increased; and if, following the reconfiguration, the capacity of the emergency department at St. Vincent's will be increased. [27485/11]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 629: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the plans to reconfigure medical services between St. Columcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown and St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin if he will give an undertaking to preserve the number of acute beds in St. Columcille's; if he will give an assurance that the total budget between the two hospitals will be ring-fenced, in order that total capacity between the two hospitals will be maintained; if he will give an assurance that the capacity of the emergency department at St. Vincent's will be increased to cater for the transfer of emergency patients from St. Columcille's under new protocols following the reconfiguration; if he will give an assurance that emergency response services in Wicklow and east Carlow will receive investment sufficient to ensure that response times for emergency cases in Wicklow and east Carlow will not worsen following the transfer of emergency department facilities to St. Vincent's, and that they will in fact improve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27488/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 628 and 629 together.

Acute hospital services in the HSE Dublin South/Wicklow Area, are provided through a collaborative arrangement across three sites, St. Vincent's University Hospital (SVUH), St. Michael's Hospital (SMH) and St. Columcille's Hospital (SCH). The configuration of services in the area has been under continued review and reorganisation for some time in the interest of improving access and quality of service to the local population.

The HSE is currently carrying out a collaborative study and consultation process across the three sites. The work of this study will feed into the current development of a framework for smaller hospitals that initially encompasses St Colmcille's Hospital. It is my intention that details of this framework will be published, when it is complete, in order to reassure the public that the future of smaller hospitals is secure and to set out clearly what services can and should be delivered safely by these hospital in the interest of better outcomes for patients. The issues raised by the Deputy will be considered within this context.

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Question 630: To ask the Minister for Health the amount spent by him, the Health Service Executive and Sligo General Hospital including staff costs and moneys outstanding on consultancy, research, design and planning fees for the then proposed new emergency department at Sligo General Hospital which was superseded by the decision of previous Government and Minister in favour of a co-located hospital on the site of Sligo General Hospital. [27503/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Question 631: To ask the Minister for Health the amount spent by Government, Health Service Executive and Sligo General Hospital including staff costs and moneys outstanding on consultancy, research, design and planning fees for the then-proposed co-located hospital at Sligo General Hospital. [27504/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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No capital costs have been incurred to date in respect of the co-location model and the HSE has not made provision for capital costs for the years 2011 and 2012. A core principle underlying the co-location initiative was that the private sector should bear all normal business risks including planning costs etc. The HSE indicates that the total cost to date for professional advice in respect of co-location, net of the private partner deposits of €350,000 each in respect of the projects at Cork, Limerick, Beaumont and St James's amounts to approximately €1.46 million.

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Question 632: To ask the Minister for Health the stage at which the public-private partnership project is at in relation to provision of acute regional specialty and general medical services provided by Sligo General Hospital. [27505/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy's question has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply because the delivery of health care infrastructure is a service matter.