Vol. 566 No. 1
84 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of the promised 850 hospital beds under the proposed public private partnerships which are now available in regard to his announcement of 29 July 2002; the hospitals in which they are available; the number in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12025/03]
The 850 additional community nursing unit, CNU, beds which I announced in July 2002 under the pilot public private partnership, PPP, will be provided in 17 new sites in the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, and Southern Health Board, SHB, areas.
The ERHA proposes to develop nine CNUs, three in each of the area health boards. The proposed sites are in the following locations: Clonskeagh Hospital, Newcastle Hospital, County Wicklow and Tivoli Road, Dún Laoghaire in the East Coast Area Health Board; St. Joseph's Hospital, Raheny, St. Mary's Hospital, Phoenix Park and Verville, Vernon Avenue, Clontarf in the Northern Area Health Board; St. Loman's Psychiatric Hospital, Palmerstown; Brú Chaoimhín and Cherry Orchard Hospital in the South-Western Area Health Board.
The Southern Health Board proposes to develop eight CNUs in the following locations; St. Finbarr's Hospital, Farranlea Road, Wilton and Ballincollig in the South Lee area; St. Stephen's Hospital and the Orthopaedic Hospital in the North Lee area; Mount Alvernia, Mallow in the north Cork area; Bantry in the west Cork area and Tralee in Kerry.
These additional beds are currently not available, as the process of providing services under a PPP arrangement requires the health board-authority to abide by EU procurement legislation for projects of this size. The ERHA and SHB have appointed business advisers to assist them in the delivery of this service. Outline business cases, OBCs, will be submitted for approval to the Department of Finance this summer. These are currently being prepared by the ERHA and the SHB. They will include public sector comparators, which are used to test whether the PPP proposal offers value for money in comparison with the most efficient form of public procurement. If approved by the Department of Finance, the next stage for the ERHA and SHB will be to advertise in the OJEC for consortia to design, build, finance and partially operate the facilities.
