Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 October 2004
63 Ms McManus asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the expected date for the bringing into commission of each of the unopened facilities, in regard to the announcement by her predecessor on 14 September 2004; if the health boards have been provided with the resources to recruit the appropriate staff for these units; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26331/04]
View answerMy predecessor, Deputy Martin, and officials from my Department entered into discussions with the Department of Finance earlier this year to progress the issue of opening facilities that had received substantial capital investment. These discussions resulted in my Department agreeing to fund €35 million of the required revenue costs from its overall existing funding. Further funding of these new units will be discussed in the context of the Estimates process for 2005.
The agreement concluded with the Minister for Finance also provided for an increase in the national employment ceiling in respect of staff required for the commissioning of the new units.
Since the announcement, the acute psychiatric unit at the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise, has become operational, 29 September 2004, and the commissioning of the remaining acute and non-acute new units is ongoing. Health boards have informed my Department that the new units will be brought into operation on a phased basis over the remainder of 2004 and early 2005. This phasing is necessary as each health board must go through a logistical process of recruiting and appointing additional staff and, in some cases, equipping new facilities.
