asked the Minister for Health, in view of the massive reduction in hospital beds in County Roscommon, the arrangements which have been made for Roscommon patients in other hospitals; and the amount of additional funding which is provided for community nursing and home help services.

This is a matter for the Western Health Board in the first instance. The board have informed me that with the revised bed complement at Roscommon Hospital, and access to Galway Regional and Portiuncula Hospitals, adequate arrangements are in place to provide hospital services for the population of Roscommon.

The board considers that community nursing and home help services in County Roscommon are adequate to meet the needs of the area. If any additional funding is required it will be a matter for the Western Health Board to make this available from within their approved non-capital allocation for 1988.

Is the Minister aware that the bed complement in Roscommon County Hospital has been reduced from 135 to 60 in the past number of months? Is he also aware that at present, due to the reduction in the number of beds in the Castlebar, the regional and Merlin Park hospitals, no alternative arrangements have been made for Roscommon patients? Is the Minister further aware of the deep concern expressed by the people of Roscommon, of the rejection by the members of the Western Health Board of the 60 bed concept and of the deep concern expressed by the medical and surgical staff there at the lack of facilities?

I am aware of the debates which have taken place in the Western Health Board in regard to Roscommon and I am satisfied that sufficient bed accommodation is being provided in Roscommon and indeed that sufficient bed accommodation will be available to Roscommon patients within their health board area where necessary.

Let me ask one further question. Is the Minister aware that the surgeon at Roscommon Hospital found it necessary within the past week to write to the health board, to the Medical Protection Society and to Deputies for the constituency about the lack of adequate staffing in his department?

That is a separate question but let me say to the Deputy that in regard to the number of beds, the number of in-patients in the hospital in October was 44 and the number of beds in the hospital was 58. It would appear therefore that a sufficient number of beds to cater for the needs of patients in the Roscommon area was available.

Would the Minister accept that patients were not accepted because of his direction of 13 October?

I will not accept that a patient who needed to be admitted to hospital was refused admission.