asked the Minister for Health and Children the conclusions reached by a company (details supplied) in its investigation into the finances of Tallaght Hospital, Dublin 24; if he will publish its report; the plans, if any, he has to provide the hospital with the additional funds required for 1998; and the funding allocation he will make to the hospital for 1999. [22438/98]
Priority Questions. - Hospital Funding.
The review which is being carried out on my behalf by Deloitte & Touche into budgetary and other matters at the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin, incorporating the National Children's Hospital, is not yet complete. I regret, therefore, I am not in a position to state the conclusions reached by Deloitte & Touche.
No decision has been taken with regard to the publication of the report. The Deputy will be aware that in my reply to his question on 8 October 1998 on this issue, I made it clear that I am committed to making the report expeditiously available to the board of management of the hospital.
The board of management of the hospital reported to my Department in September last that it was projecting a budgetary overrun of approximately £21 million for 1998. Part of the brief of Deloitte & Touche is to review these projections and as I have stated earlier this review is not yet completed. It is not possible for me to comment on the funding arrangements for any budgetary overrun the hospital might have for 1998 until I obtain the conclusions of the report. I confirm that the hospital, like all other health agencies, is expected to remain within its 1998 determination. The hospital was notified, like all voluntary hospitals, that it was intended to apply in an administrative way any relevant terms of the accountability legislation. Any overrun is in the first instance a matter for the hospital and an overrun for 1998 will be a first charge on next year's determination.
With regard to the funding allocation to be made to the hospital for 1999, the hospital and all other health agencies will be notified of their 1999 determination early next month. Even if the funding allocation to the hospital had been finalised at this point, I would consider it inappropriate to comment at this time and to treat this hospital any differently from other hospitals. I am sure the Deputy would agree with me in this regard.
I share the Deputy's obvious concerns with regard to the new hospital at Tallaght. I am extremely concerned at the degree of the projected deficit for 1998 which has been presented and the reasons given for this overrun by the hospital's board of management. My concerns obviously extend to the patients and staff of the hospital and the future implications for this, our newest and most modern hospital.
This report will receive my immediate attention as soon as it is received.
: Is the Minister in a position to explain to the House why the report has not yet been received, given that he originally informed the House that Deloitte & Touche would complete its work within three weeks of going into the hospital? Could he indicate if he is aware of bed closures in the hospital in the months October, November and December and, if so, how many?
The Deloitte & Touche review is now close to completion. It took longer than initially estimated as it proved to be more extensive and difficult than anticipated. Deloitte & Touche reported no lack of co-operation by the hospital and reports to the facilitation group indicated a co-operative approach. All the detailed examination work at the hospital has been completed and elements of the report have been made available to the hospital and the Department to verify their factual accuracy. It is anticipated that the report will be submitted to me as Minister within the next week. As regards bed closures, that information may be available in the context of Question No. 19 and I will forward it to the Deputy.
Does the Minister know if there were any?
As far as I am concerned the position in Tallaght hospital is critical. I have sent in independent consultants and I am not prepared to comment on what action must be taken until I have the conclusions of the report. I do not believe it would be helpful to the hospital or the public to comment until I get the report.
Does the Minister agree it is in the public interest that the report be published as soon as he receives it, and that it be put into the public domain as soon as possible, not hidden on the shelves of his Department, as is the case with the report of the review group on hospital waiting lists? In the context of this question I expect the Minister to be able to tell the House the number of beds, if any, that have closed in the hospital in the months October to December. Perhaps he could give that information.
The Deputy's question was what conclusions were reached by the private consultants' report, when it would be provided, what additional funds were being provided in 1998, and the funding allocation for the hospital in 1999. That does not imply a linkage to the specific question of bed closures. If such a question is put down I can make an inquiry.
There is a direct relationship between the funding of the hospital and its capacity to keep beds open.
If the Deputy wants specific factual information about the bed numbers I can get it, but it is not anticipated in this question — if it had been, I would have the information for him. No decision has been taken about the publication of the report. I must receive it and my first responsibility is to make it available to the hospital board. I am not in the business of providing the conclusions for publicity's sake until I have an opportunity to deal with the owners and board of the hospital to see how we can solve this problem.
Will the Minister not acknowledge that, since substantial public funds have been put into the hospital, Members of the House are entitled to see the report to discover the manner in which funding has been spent and whether the funding made available to the hospital was adequate to meet its needs, in order to assess what is in the best interests of the hospital and the community it serves for the future?
The Deputy will be aware I took the unprecedented step of sending in consultants as soon as it became obvious to me that such a course of action was necessary, precisely in order to discharge my responsibilities as Minister and to assist accountability so that the position was properly reckoned with and audited. I am carrying out that responsibility. As to the adequacy or inadequacy of budgets, I repeat the point I made previously at Question Time: in February the hospital submitted a budget which was only £900,000 in excess of its determination of £53.7 million, and it was instructed to resubmit its plan within budget. It is vital to note that the original plan gave no indication of severe funding shortfalls. If anyone is suggesting the hospital was underfunded, that was not the case when the service plan was drawn up.
Publish the report.
I will make no commitment about that until I receive it.
The Department of Health and Children is becoming more obsessively secretive than the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
It is not a question of being secretive but of respecting the circumstances.