John Crown (Independent)

I must admit that I am incandescent with rage to discover that we live in a "banana-pleanála republic", which is what we now have as a result of the catastrophic decision about the national children's hospital. I know others have raised the matter but a couple of facts must go onto the public record. There were very fine arguments to be advanced in favour of developing the Crumlin Hospital site. I supported that plan. Others had very fine arguments for developing it in the Mater. The main argument is that it would be beside a large general hospital and that there would be synergies, efficiencies, economies of scale and increased expertise. There was a downside to it which related to the physical plant, geography, location and traffic issues. There were plus and minus arguments on all sides. It does not necessarily speak very well of my profession because I believe that none of the opinions which were articulated at that time were completely disinterested. Most people acted out of some degree of chauvinism on behalf of their own institution. People from UCD favoured the Mater site, people from Trinity and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI, favoured the Crumlin site, people from the north side favoured the Mater, people affiliated with Temple Street favoured the Mater and people affiliated with Crumlin opposed the Mater. This was the way it shook down. Everyone knew a decision was going to be made. As someone once stated, medical politics are so vicious because so little is at stake, but there is much at stake in this case. The wise consensus was that, after the decision was made, those who proposed a different solution would be quiet, sit on their hands, lick their wounds and go ahead with the decision. The decision was to develop the Mater site. Some people believed it was a good one, some a bad one, but at least it was made.

The grounds for turning down the development have been used as an excuse against every necessary short-term and medium-term investment in pediatric services. They should not be used now, as we are building a children's hospital. The grounds are aesthetic and architectural. If the hospital was built, there would be a prison in front of it, a second hospital beside it and another hospital behind it. The street beside it is not necessarily regarded as being one of the great beautiful boulevards of Europe. The hospital's construction is being blocked because people believe it is too tall, not because it is the wrong site for traffic or for medical reasons. This does not wash.

We cannot allow this to be an excuse for endlessly putting the development on the long finger. An urgent decision needs to be made to overrule An Bord Pleanála, to amend the plan or to go ahead. Aesthetics and architecture are being used as excuses to delay the development.

In other sad news, it appears that the Iranian Government has launched the next stage of the legal process to execute Pastor Nadarkhani for no other crime than being a Christian. I thank the House for its attention and I hope the Leader will bring this issue to the attention of the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. I also hope that the Minister for Health, in whom I have great faith, will quickly and decisively intervene to get this pediatric hospital business straightened out once and for all.