The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver or arrange to be delivered on its behalf health and personal social services.
The HSE service plan for 2005 was recently approved by me and, as required by relevant legislation, laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. The detailed capital funding programme for hospitals for 2005 is being finalised in the context of the capital investment framework 2005-09. This process will be concluded in the near future and the HSE will then be in a position to progress its capital programme in line with overall funding resources available for 2005 or beyond. A decision on the appointment of a design team for the proposed oncology-haematology unit at Waterford Regional Hospital will be made in the context of the agreed capital framework for the executive.