Vol. 376 No. 9
asked the Minister for Health when work will commence on the Sligo general hospital extension; the date on which work is to start in the agreement with the contractor; and the total duration of the contract; when it is proposed to equip the new extension with all the necessary requirements and facilities; and when it is planned that the extension will be opened for hospital purposes.
237.
asked the Minister for Health the present position of the planned Sligo general hospital extension in the contract document signed with the contractor; the details of all work to be done under the contract and whether this work is exactly the same, or more or less, than that involved in the plan for the Sligo general hospital extension drawn up by the hospital extension task force and lodged with his Department in 1986.
238.
asked the Minister for Health the cost of providing the necessary medical facilities, equipment, furniture and other requirements for the planned Sligo general hospital extension; the provision or plans which have been made for the financing of these requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
239.
asked the Minister for Health the amount of money allocated in the capital programme for work on the planned expenditure for 1989, 1990 and 1991.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 236, to 239, inclusive, together.
I have approved of the acceptance of tenders for an extension to Sligo General Hospital and arrangements are currently being made by the North Western Health Board for the signing of the contract. It is expected that construction work will commence early in 1988 and take about 5 years to complete.
The total estimated cost of furniture and equipment for the project is of the order of £9 million and provision for this will be included in the health capital programme. The scheduling of this expenditure will depend on several factors which are difficult to predict and I cannot at this stage give a precise timetable for the commissioning of the development.
The expenditure required for the Sligo scheme in 1988 and subsequent years will be influenced by many variables which cannot be quantified accurately in advance, including the contractor's rate of progress with the building work, and it is not possible to say what the exact expenditure requirements will be for any particular year.
I presume that the Deputy's reference to the hospital extension task force relates to the planning group consisting of representatives of the Department and the board, which was established in 1983 to recommend a revised scheme of development for Sligo General Hospital. The scope of the development envisaged in the proposed contract is the same as that recommended by the planning group and for which the board sought approval to invite tenders in 1986. I would suggest that the Deputy get in touch with the board in relation to the more detailed information which he is seeking on the scope of the work.
