Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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403. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he has taken to plan for and to examine the need for the inclusion in the Government capital programme for the provision of a new hospital to be built in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5256/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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There are no plans for new hospital to be built in County Galway. However, a number of significant projects have been completed at Galway University Hospital in recent years. These include the Clinical Research Facility, the upgrade to the Maternity Unit and The CF out-patient department which was completed in 2014 and is now operational.

The HSE Capital Plan 2016 includes funding for a full option appraisal and Cost Benefit Analysis to inform planning and funding requirements for a new ED at GUH. A cost benefit analysis in relation to a new ED is in its final stages and it is anticipated that this will be completed in March 2016. If favourable, this will go to design phase in 2016.

Pending the development of a new ED in GUH, in order to alleviate pressures and to ensure that patient experience in the existing GUH ED is improved, there are two major developments currently underway in Galway. The HSE made over €2 million available in 2015 to develop an additional 30 beds in GUH in order to reduce overcrowding. 17 of these beds opened on the 4th January 2016 with the remaining 13 opening on the 14th March 2016.

Further construction work is also ongoing on the new 75 bed ward block which will provide single room in-patient accommodation. A new acute mental health department is underway and is expected to be completed early in 2017. Following the transfer of mental health services to the new acute department work will begin on the construction of the National Plan for Radiation Oncology project for which the HSE has already obtained planning permission.

Any future investment must be considered within the overall acute hospital infrastructure programme and establishment of hospital groups. Each hospital group will be required to develop a strategic plan to describe how it will provide more efficient and effective patient services and reorganise its services to provide optimal care to the populations it serves.