With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 28 together.
Deputy Gibbons will be aware that details of the national hospital plan have now been announced.
In relation to the Western Health Board area, it has been decided that, in addition to hospitals at Galway and Castlebar, there should be a federation of Roscommon County Hospital and Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, the working of the federation to be reviewed after a trial period.
Because of the need to take early decisions on planning hospitals, I did not consider it desirable to defer a decision on the national hospital plan until the results of the next census had been announced.