Vol. 535 No. 1
370 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding funding for the South Eastern Health Board under the national development plan in the context of recently announced reductions in capital expenditure; if any projects approved already during 2000 will be delayed, reduced in scale or removed from the plan arising from these changes and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12346/01]
371 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Health and Children the list of all approved projects under the National Development Plan, 2000-2006, for the South Eastern Health Board, the projects that were approved in 2000 and which did not proceed during that calendar year, if the funding has been carried forward to subsequent years of the plan and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12347/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 370 and 371 together.
Health boards have responsibility for the prioritisation and delivery of capital projects within their area, under the national development plan. My Department is reviewing the plan and this review includes the implications this year of the funding adjustments recently announced in the revised Estimates for the public capital programme, in addition to other significant influences governing the NDP, such as inflation and capacity pressures in the construction industry. My Department recently held discussions with each board and the ERHA on the NDP. A further series of meetings will be undertaken later this month in relation to delivering the plan for the health service, when the position in relation to progressing individual capital projects will become clearer.
Each capital project approved under the NDP continues to be subject to the normal service, technical and other criteria required by my Department in the context of maximising the overall funding available for the plan. A number of new capital projects were approved by my Department in 2000 for the South Eastern Health Board area, in addition to the existing projects and initiatives already in place and which were also funded under the national development plan. Where individual projects were approved, but did not proceed as envisaged, these are liable to carry forward to subsequent years of the plan on the basis that they are prioritised and delivered within the overall funding available each year to the board.
I have asked the South-Eastern Health Board to furnish direct to the Deputy the information sought in the questions relating to individual projects approved by my Department.
