The provision of hospital services at Kerry General Hospital, Tralee, is, in the first instance, a matter for the Southern Health Board. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer of the Southern Health Board to reply directly to the Deputy regarding the number of staff employed at the hospital.
A capital projects development team for Kerry General Hospital, Tralee, was established in September 2000 to prepare a strategy plan for the current and future needs of the hospital. The development plan included the construction of a purpose-built maternity unit.
Earlier this year, the Southern Health Board sent a statement of need to the Department of Health and Children for a women's health unit at Kerry General Hospital, Tralee. This statement of need sets out the current position on the delivery of maternity services at the hospital.
The establishment of a project team to progress proposals for a new maternity unit at Kerry General Hospital falls to be considered in the context of overall funding resources available under the Capital Investment Framework 2004-2008.