Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 March 2004
171 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children in regard to his announcement of July 2002, the number of the promised 850 community nursing units that are now available; the hospitals in which they are available; the number in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7069/04]
View answerThe 850 additional beds which I announced in July 2002 were for community nursing units to be provided under two pilot public private partnership projects in 17 locations throughout the Eastern Regional Health Authority and Southern Health Board areas. These additional beds are not available, as the process of providing services under a PPP arrangement requires the health board or authority to comply with the EU procurement legislation and national guidelines on PPPs.
A public sector benchmark has been prepared and finalised by the ERHA. This is a comprehensive and detailed risk adjusted costing of the project elements using conventional procurement over the whole life of the project. My Department is in consultation with the Department of Finance about this. The Southern Health Board is finalising its public sector benchmark. On approval contract notices will be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union. It is expected that the community nursing units will begin to come on stream in 2006.
