With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 8 and 9 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Government's decision in relation to Nenagh hospital, as announced on the 21st October, 1975, is that Nenagh hospital will be retained as an acute general hospital. In making that announcement, I indicated that it was my intention to initiate discussions with the Mid-Western Health Board with a view to instituting joint staffing arrangements between that hospital and one or more of the Limerick city hospitals to ensure that adequate staffing is guaranteed for Nenagh hospital.
During the course of 1976 several efforts were made by officials of the Mid-Western Health Board to work out joint staffing arrangements between Limerick city and Nenagh hospitals. On June 8th last, the chief executive officer of the board informed me that it had not been possible to work out suitable joint staffing arrangements following consultations with the consultant medical staff in the area. Following receipt of that letter, the chief executive officer of the board was asked to consider the matter again with the consultants in the Limerick region. On the 7th October, he reiterated that suitable joint staffing arrangements were not found possible.
On January 4th last, I received a letter from Comhairle na nOspidéal which stated that they had been informed by the Mid-Western Health Board that joint staffing arrangements between Limerick city and Nenagh were not feasible and that the Government's decision to retain Nenagh hospital should be re-examined.
On January 28th, I informed Comhairle na nOspidéal that there would be no change in the Government's decision on Nenagh hospital and that all the agencies involved should continue to seek a suitable solution to the staffing problem there.
The position at the moment, therefore, is that Nenagh hospital will be retained, as announced in the Government's decision of October, 1975, and that the health agencies concerned have been asked to concentrate on finding a suitable staffing solution. I am anxiously awaiting their recommendations on this matter and there will be no delay on my part in approving any suitable solution which they propose.
The comhairle, at a meeting on 18th February, decided to arrange talks with the medical organisations on staffing problems in a number of hospitals, including Nenagh. I do not wish to pre-empt the result of these discussions which, I expect, will take place shortly but, if cover by consultants in Limerick is not practicable, it may be necessary to consider other arrangements, such as the appointment of special additional staff, in order to ensure that the Government's decision to retain Nenagh hospital is made effective.