Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank everybody for their contributions this morning, and some were very interesting. I will stick to three questions and perhaps I might be able to get some more information. I was disappointed with the response to Question No. 25 as it did not constitute a reply. I asked if the Minister had considered the cost for the introduction of a nicotine replacement programme for pregnant women. The response did not even touch on the cost. I have raised the matter a number of times and I am fully aware of other measures that seek to prevent people smoking. There are 21% of pregnant women still smoking and there are no statistics indicating how many of the 10,000 smokers receiving support have succeeded in giving up smoking.

Professor Luke Clancy appeared before the committee a few weeks ago and I asked him a question about pregnant women who smoke. I queried if, with his expertise in respiratory illnesses, he believed nicotine patches for pregnant women would be better than a woman continuing to smoke. He told me they would be 100% better than anybody putting a cigarette in a mouth. He indicated that women who smoke would be better off using patches. I acknowledge that the Minister's response indicated that the patches are given free in England through a general medical scheme. I will submit the question again about the cost of these patches.

There was another question regarding primary care health centres. My area takes in Inchicore, Ballyfermot, Drimnagh, Crumlin and the Liberties and there has been a very significant response to the primary care centres. People are overwhelmed by the condition of the facilities and quality of the service which is provided. My concern is with the centre on Curlew Road. A response was sought from the HSE in January regarding the planning application and that is still awaited. When will the response be received? The development cannot go ahead unless Dublin City Council gets the required information. People living in the Crumlin and Drimnagh area welcome this primary care centre but the response from the HSE is required sooner rather than later. We are now four months in and the issue must be pushed on.

My final question concerns the proposed new national children's hospital. Yesterday I read an article in a newspaper indicating the planning application must be pushed to 2015 but is there any truth in that? There is much local frustration about this as we all thought the planning application would be made in September. Has there been purchasing of facilities outside the complex to help move along the development? Will the witnesses confirm if a site on Davitt Road has been purchased by the HSE to facilitate ambulances and the information technology section of St. James's Hospital? What about the site on Brookfield Hill, as I cannot find anything about it? Locals believe those sites have been purchased in conjunction with the development of the proposed national children's hospital.