Ms Eilísh Hardiman:

We are planning the opening of the children's hospital because it is two and a half years out and it takes that level of planning to do something that significant from a change perspective. All of Crumlin and Temple Street and all of the inpatient services in Tallaght will transfer to the new children's hospital. The issue of elective work and, specifically, Cappagh is something we are waiting to explore and is being outlined.

We have a detailed activity and capacity plan developed for all the activity in the new children's hospital and are moving to the plans to open it, prepare to transfer those services, close those hospitals and consolidate everything. We will have the children's hospital with everything consolidated and two outpatient and urgent care centres: one at Connolly Hospital, which has opened, and another at Tallaght hospital, which is opening this weekend.

The next step is to ensure, as an integrated network with the regional hospitals, we are supporting as much paediatric medicine and surgery as can and should be in the regions. Those services should be as local and convenient as possible.