Breeda Moynihan-Cronin
Ceist:327 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the provision of a new community hospital in Dingle, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17686/03]
Written Answers. - Hospitals Building Programme.
Responsibility for the provision of health services in County Kerry rests with the Southern Health Board. The development of a new 72 bed community hospital in Dingle is being planned by the board under its National Development Plan 2001-2006. Agreement has been reached on the purchase of the site for the new community hospital and the legal documentation for the transfer of the site is currently being completed.
A grant of planning permission for the project has been issued by Kerry County Council. I have recently issued approval to the Southern Health Board for commencement of stage 3 of the project, which involves finalising the scheme design and cost plan. The board will now advance the project to stages 4 and 5 of the planning process.
Breeda Moynihan-Cronin
Ceist:328 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the extension to Kenmare Community Hospital in Kenmare, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17687/03]
Responsibility for the provision of health services in the Kerry area rests with the Southern Health Board in the first instance. The board included a proposal to develop a 14 bed extension to Kenmare Community Hospital as part of its National Development Plan 2001-2006, which was submitted to my Department. The development of this project has been scheduled to commence during the latter part of the 2001-06 period. The board has completed a draft accommodation brief for the project and the draft brief which was submitted to my Department on 28 February 2003 is currently under consideration.
My Department is reviewing the national development plan to end 2006, which includes meeting existing contractual commitments for the current year and beyond. When this process is completed, which should be shortly, my Department and the health boards will then be in a position to assess what new capital priorities can be progressed. I appreciate the importance attached to the proposal for Kenmare Community Hospital and my Department will continue to liaise closely with the Southern Health Board on the matter.
Breeda Moynihan-Cronin
Ceist:329 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the provision of a community hospital in Tralee, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17688/03]
The provision of health services in the Kerry area is a matter for the Southern Health Board in the first instance. The board included a proposal to develop a 50 bed community nursing unit in Tralee as part of its National Development Plan 2001-2006, which was submitted to my Department.
A project team was established in May 2001 to progress this development. The project team has identified the preferred site for this development on land attached to Tralee General Hospital. The selected site is a three-acre site, accessible from the Killerisk Road, which will allow for the community nursing unit to be developed independently from the general hospital campus.
The project team has prepared a design brief and the cost of the project is in the order of €8.5 million at a September 2002 price base date, excluding revenue costs. My Department gave approval to the appointment of a design team in February 2003. It is currently preparing sketch design plans and site studies are being carried out to support stage 2 of the planning and design process. It is expected that the stage 2 report will be submitted to my Department by the Southern Health Board in the near future.
My Department fully appreciates the importance of progressing this development and will continue to work closely with the Southern Health Board in relation to this project.