Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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445. To ask the Minister for Health if the decision of January 2016 regarding hospitals (details supplied) made by the former Minister of State for older people has been officially rescinded and is no longer HSE or his Department's policy; his new policy on these two community hospitals in County Donegal; his plans being proposed; the timeline for the upgrading of community hospitals within the context of the existing capital plan 2016 to 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47112/18]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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The policy position adopted in 2015 to replace the two hospitals referred to by the Deputy has been officially revised and is no longer HSE or Government policy relating to these hospitals, as I advised the Deputy at a meeting on the 7th of November last. The HSE's Social Care Directorate and its National Capital and Property Steering Group have accepted recommendations from HSE CHO 1 to retain and upgrade St Joseph’s Community Hospital, Stranorlar and Ramelton Community Nursing Unit. This revises the original decision to replace the existing long stay residential beds on both sites as part of the Capital Investment Programme for Public Residential Care Centres for Older People 2016-2021. It further revises the scale of the proposed new unit at Letterkenny from the original 130 beds to 110 beds. Importantly, I understand that the decision to revise the proposals was informed not just by the technical and feasibility studies in relation to the physical infrastructure in these two sites but also on the basis of a broader analysis of population projections and National Planning norms carried out by the HSE.

I understand that the matter will now proceed through the HSE's capital planning process with design work on the Stranorlar and Ramelton units expected to commence in 2019. The Department has requested to be kept up-to-date on progress and projected timelines in relation to these projects.