asked the Minister for Health when it is proposed to commence construction on the new Tallaght hospital; the reason the starting date has been deferred by six months on what was outlined in a reply to a parliamentary question a year ago; the up-to-date planning and technical stage; whether the land has been bought and the site cleared for construction; if he will expedite the matter in view of the pressing local medical needs for hospital service in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Tallaght New Hospital.
291.
Stage IV of the planning process is nearing completion and some preliminary work has already commenced on stage V. The land has been bought and the site cleared for construction. It is hoped that construction work will commence in late 1990.
There has been no significant delay in the planning of the hospital. Some delays are inevitable because of the complex nature of the development and the high degree of consultation required. Unlike many other building projects, a hospital is a highly complex fusion of specialised departments. If the planning of those departments is not completed in a thorough manner or if their relationships to one another are not satisfactorily resolved at the design stage, problems will arise when the hospital is commissioned. These can seriously affect the efficient operation of the hospital. Any dates given for the commencement of construction of a major hospital are, of necessity, targets until the planning and design stages are complete. As this work progresses it is possible to be more accurate about dates for the commencement of construction. For these reasons I do not accept that there has been any deferral of the starting date and I regard the Tallaght Hospital project as being on target.