Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 January 2013
192. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a time line for the various stages in respect of the construction of the new national children's hospital at St. James's Hospital, Dublin; when the facility will be opened to patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4727/13]
View answer194. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the best estimate of the time line for the various stages in respect of the construction of the new national children’s hospital at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin; when the facility will be opened to patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4782/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 192 and 194 together.
On 6 November last, I announced the Government’s decision to develop the new children’s hospital at the campus of St James’s Hospital in Dublin. The new children’s hospital is a key commitment in the Programme for Government and the largest project within the current Capital Plan. This Government regards the building of the hospital as a priority and no effort will be spared in expediting its completion. Following the Government decision on the location, my first priority has been to address the necessary project management structures and governance arrangements to enable the delivery of the capital project as quickly as possible and to the highest quality. The scale, complexity and vital importance of this project means we must get this element right now, and I have therefore given this detailed consideration and intend to bring proposals to Government shortly.
Pending the implementation of revised project management and governance arrangements, work is continuing on the project through the existing mechanisms, including the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board. The terms of office of most members of the Board having expired on 5 December, I have appointed senior representatives from my Department and the HSE as an interim measure aimed at ensuring effective governance and decision-making for the project to ensure that work continues without delay during this transitional phase.
The Dolphin report concluded that the existing plan for the Ambulatory and Urgent Care Centre in Tallaght would need to be revisited in light of a decision about the location. It is envisaged that there will be an urgent care centre or urgent care centres based on consideration of the geographical distribution of attendances and acuity of the patient. Following the Government's decision to locate the new hospital on the St James's campus, a review is now underway on the location and number of urgent care centres, which is expected to be complete in the coming weeks. Preliminary work in relation to the site and site preparation is ongoing, and immediate next steps will include the termination of existing contracts, following legal advice, followed by new procurement processes which will be fully compliant with statutory periods. In this regard, I welcome the fact that a significant proportion of the work that was done for the project on the Mater site, including the internal configuration and adjacencies, will be transferable to the new site, although clearly a new design for the new site is required.
In regard to the timelines, the estimation of the various stages of the project require to be developed, reviewed and validated and, once established, will be kept under scrutiny with strong and proactive project management. This Government regards the building of the new children's hospital as a key priority and no effort will be spared in expediting its completion.
