asked the Minister for Health the reasons the CAT scanner at Galway Regional Hospital has not yet been commissioned.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Galway Regional Hospital CAT Scanner.
9.
The estimated cost arising from commissioning the CAT Scanner at Galway Regional Hospital is about £200,000 per annum for some seven head of staff. In the current difficult financial situation I am simply not in a position to make additional funds on this scale available to the Western Health Board. However, I have asked the board on a number of occasions to examine the possibility of redeploying existing resources for this purpose from areas of lower priority within their existing services. I have also informed the board that I will consider sympathetically any reasonable proposal which they might make to me in this regard. To date, I have received no proposals for redeployment from the board.
I might also point out that it is generally agreed that one CAT Scanner should serve a population of 700,000 people and that there are now four such machines in use in the public hospitals in the country.
How does the Minister expect the Western Health Board to redeploy resources in order to commission the CAT scanner when they already have a budgetary shortfall of £4 million which his Department have accepted? Would the Minister stop coming out with the gobbledegook about redeploying resources?
That is not part of the question.
I do not accept that they have an overrun of £4 million. They have been saying that every year, and it never works out that way. The budget for the Western Health Board this year is £116,160,000 including £13.3 million for the GMS provision. Within the framework of that budget it should be possible for the board to make a proposal to us. I will not be found wanting in making an effort to bring it on stream. But so far we have not received any proposal.
The Minister says he cannot make funds available, but I have here the Budget Statement of 29 January 1986——
The Chair does not want to hear it.
——when the Minister for Finance stated that he was providing the resources "for commissioning the CAT scanner at Galway Regional Hospital". Why has the Minister not used the resources provided for in the budget for thar purpose?
Because so far the substantial demand by the health board has been at £200,000. We could open the CAT scanner for a smaller sum and a contribution could be made by the health board towards the cost of this machine which I might add——
The money was provided in the budget. Why does the Minister not spend it?
Because the machine was purchased by the former Minister for Health, Deputy Michael Woods, two days before he went out of office, and no provision whatever was made for the revenue consequences thereof.
I will have to find out from the Minister why he has not spent money which was provided for in the budget. I am not going to allow——
There is only one "have to" in this House and that is the Deputy will have to obey the Chair. I am calling the next question.
I am at least entitled to have my questions replied to.
The Deputy has asked his question. There is nothing more I can do about it.
A Cheann Comhairle, I do not want to argue with you as I respect you too much for that but I cannot allow the Minister to insult this House with the kind of reply he has given.
The Deputy is now making a speech.
I demand that the Minister answer the question.
The Deputy will have to find an orderly way of doing it.
I will simply ask the question again. Why has the Minister not spent the money which was provided for the CAT scanner in the budget?
The Deputy asked that question and it was answered.
Secondly, is the Minister aware that this year it cost £108,000 to transport 258 patients out of the Western Health Board area to other hospitals in Cork and Dublin and will he not supply the extra £100,000 which would allow this scanner to operate as it was provided for in the budget?
Very briefly, a Cheann Comhairle——
And that is the end of it.
I intend to have further discussions with the chief executive officer of the Western Health Board in relation to this matter. I think we can bring this equipment into commission at a cost substantially less than £200,000.
Will the Minister please answer Question No. 10?
Two weeks ago the Minister wrote to the Western Health Board and told them he did not have the resources available to bring this CAT scanner into operation and now he is saying he is going to negotiate with the chief executive officer.
The Deputy should resume his seat.
I will resume my seat but I cannot take an untruth from the Minister on this.
The Deputy will withdraw that remark.
The Deputy will not withdraw it because the information in the letter the Minister wrote to the chief executive officer of the Western Health Board is different from the information the Minister gave me today.
I do not want to have a row with the Deputy but he must withdraw the remark or I will have to take the next step in the procedure and he is aware of that.
On a point of order——
The Deputy should not interrupt.
Surely the Chair will not throw me out for raising a point of order?
Will the Deputy make his point?
My point is that the word was used before in the House and was not withdrawn. The Chair should check the precedent.
I am the judge of how the word is used. Deputy Fahey should withdraw his remark.
May I ask the Minister a question?
The Deputy should withdraw his remark.
A letter was written to the Western Health Board last week——
The Deputy should withdraw the remark before he goes any further.
The information I have been given is not the same as the information given to the Western Health Board last week.
The Deputy is being most disorderly. He should be seated. I do not want any row with the Deputy. He knows where I stand with him but he should withdraw the remark or I will move immediately to the next step in the procedure.
I will withdraw the remark but I beg the permission of the Chair to ask the Minister a question.
I will allow one short question and one brief reply.
Did the Minister write to the Western Health Board last week and tell them the Department were not able to make resources available to commission this CAT scanner? Will he make the money available once and for all and not tell us again that he intends negotiating? He has been telling us that for the past 12 months.
I have made it clear to the health board that I do not have £200,000 of annual revenue available to me but that I am willing to co-operate and provide some money for the commissioning of the CAT scanner.
Will the Minister indicate how much he is prepared to make available?
The Minister should answer the next question and the Deputy should obey the Chair.
This is a most frustrating exercise.