Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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526. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the staffing of the epilepsy monitoring unit at Cork University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41837/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The National Clinical Care Programme provides for the commissioning of a Regional Epilepsy Monitoring Unit to be based in Cork University Hospital.

Critical to the opening of the Regional Epilepsy Monitoring Unit in Cork University Hospital is the requirement to recruit five staff nurses and one Senior and one Basic Grade Neurophysiological Technician. I am advised that the recruitment of the staff required to open the unit is taking longer than anticipated due to the specialist nature of the staff involved. Three nurses have been recruited via the National Recruitment Service and the recruitment of the two remaining staff nurses is at an advanced stage. While the recruitment of these staff on a permanent basis is being progressed, hospital management is progressing a number of options to redeploy staff on a temporary basis to allow the unit to be opened as soon as possible.