asked the Minister for Health if he will approve the necessary funding for the on-going use of the new diagnostic scanning equipment at Temple Street Children's Hospital, Dublin 1, which has been provided by the voluntary fund-raising efforts of the Irish Hairdressing Federation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Diagnostic Scanning Equipment.
292.
My Department have never refused to allow the hospital to fund the operation of this machine. I understand, however, that the hospital does not consider the operation of this equipment to be its immediate priority and wishes instead to concentrate on reducing the waiting list for ENT to acceptable proportions.
To this end, my Department recently allocated an additional £50,000 for equipment for ENT work and £50,000 for the treatment this year of 170 patients that would otherwise have remained on the waiting list.