Shane Ross
Question:135. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 356 of 20 October 2015, when exactly, and by whom, the decision was made to downgrade St. Bricin's Military Hospital to a military medical facility; if this decision was communicated to the Defence Forces representative associations and to the Houses of the Oireachtas; the reason St. Bricin's is listed as the Defence Forces logistics base hospital in all relevant Defence Forces regulations, administrative instructions and orders, if that is no longer the case; given that St. Bricin's continues to offer a number of services comparable to those offered in the Health Service Executive's county and regional hospitals, including radiology, day surgery, lying-in nursing services, consultant clinics and a laboratory service, none of which are offered in the other military medical facilities, the reason for the decision to downgrade the hospital; the Defence Forces' current infrastructure priorities; his views on whether the Defence Forces medical facilities have been given adequate priority in this Government's term of office; if he will commit to advancing the project to replace St. Bricin's immediately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38847/15]
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