asked the Minister for Health if, in view of the statements made by responsible nurses in Ennis County Hospital, County Clare and to allay the fears of the relatives of patients there, together with the overcrowding at Limerick Hospital, County Limerick, St. Joseph's Hospital, Ennis, County Clare and St. Camilius' Hospital, County Clare, he will make emergency funds available to the Mid-Western Health Board for 1988.
Written Answers. - Mid-Western Health Board Hospitals.
90.
I wish to assure the Deputy that there are no problems of overcrowding in any of the hospitals in question. I am aware that there were some minor overcrowding difficulties at Ennis County Hospital in early January which have now been successfully overcome. The 1988 allocation notified to the Mid-Western Health Board in October 1987 amounted to £70.130 million and I am fully satisfied that the level of funding provided is sufficient to meet the board's service requirements in the current year. The Deputy will appreciate that any decisions on the detailed distribution of the 1988 allocation are a matter for the Mid-Western Health Board.