asked the Minister for Health when it is proposed to provide Sligo General Hospital with a new extension to relieve the present overcrowding.

At present planning of the new extension to Sligo General Hospital is at stage 5 of the planning process, which involves the preparation of the bills of quantity, confirmation of cost plan, tendering procedures and conditions of contract. Some of stage 5 documentation has recently been submitted to my Department for approval. The rest of the documentation, including the main bill, is still awaited. When these have been examined and cleared the procedures for inviting tenders and the selection of the contractors will then have to be carried out.

At present I am not able to be precise on the starting date for building the extension, but I am keeping the issue under review with a view to commencing as soon as possible within the terms of the health capital programme.

Is the Minister aware that the corridors of this hospital are being used at present because of lack of space, causing great inconvenience to nurses, doctors, staff and, most of all, patients, because they are ill?

I am very much aware of what the Deputy says. I can assure him that I have been in constant touch, as has been the secretary of my Department, with the chief executive officer of the health board. We have recently discussed the matter and are currently doing so in regard to the next stage of development.

In view of the grave overcrowding taking place there at present could the Minister give a definite date on which this extension will start? The corridors are crowded and anybody who goes there will see that. In particular they will see patients who have to lie and receive treatment from a doctor in a corridor of a hospital, and that is gravely unfair to them. In view of these circumstances would the Minister give a date on which this extension might commence?

I can assure the Deputy that there have been further discussions between my Department and the chief executive officer of the health board about the matters just raised by the Deputy. I hope to make a further statement about it in the near future. These discussions took place over the last few weeks.