Vol. 569 No. 3
330 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of capital projects which will be initiated by his Department in 2003; the number of capital projects which will be initiated for each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17724/03]
My Department has a large number of capital projects under way in the current year which were sanctioned in previous years. A significant proportion of the overall health capital funding available in 2003, and subsequent years, is committed to these projects across all health care programmes and in all health board areas.
My Department is reviewing its overall capital programme under the national development plan, NDP, to the end of 2006. This is a normal feature of monitoring a major capital programme to ensure efficient delivery of individual projects in line with available funding. It is important that, in planning for the future, my Department retains some degree of flexibility in relation to capital developments to meet existing commitments and changing service needs and priorities as these arise. Completion of this review, which is expected shortly, will allow the initiation of certain new capital projects this year. My Department will then be in touch with each health board about this matter. The question of initiating new capital projects in each of the next three years will be considered by my Department in the context of service priorities and funding resources available for each year in question.
