asked the Minister for Health when it is proposed to carry out the urgently needed extension of the County Hospital, Letterkenny, County Donegal.

The General Hospital Development Plan provides for the development of Letterkenny General Hospital and agreement has been reached with the North-Western Health Board that this should be the priority project for the area. The detailed planning of the development by a design team is proceeding and is expected to be completed in spring, 1978. The date of commencement of building will be determined when planning is completed.

In the meantime, in order to alleviate overcrowding in the existing hospital, the health board decided to use, as a tempory measure, bed accommodation in the new 50-bed psychiatric unit at the hospital for general hospital purposes and this has been approved.

I am afraid we are still not getting very good reception here at the back of the House. I have complained about it time and time again and nothing whatever has been done about it. It is no fault of the Ministers in the front bench; we just do not get any sound from these boxes up here.

Might I ask the Parliamentary Secretary whether he is fully aware of the severe overcrowding that takes place daily in Letterkenny hospital and which has been taking place for many years now? Is the Parliamentary Secretary further aware that rest rooms, television rooms and sundry rooms not intended for bed space are being so used? Additionally is he aware that daily, week in and week out, the corridors are crammed with beds in this hospital and that it is long past the time when there should have been some crash development there in an endeavour to alleviate the situation? That is no exaggeration. If one rings up today one will find there are dozens of people being accommodated in the corridors.

May I appeal for brevity in respect of Supplementary Questions?

Judging by the number of questions dealt with there would not appear to be brevity.

I am anxious to make a little more progress on other Members' questions also.

I know, I have been sitting, watching and waiting for days and the brevity certainly is never evident.

The Chair does its best.

I will make no comment on that.

20.