Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will move to an issue in respect of elective hospitals. I was recently advised that for the elective hospital for Cork, for instance, there are something like 17 steps that have to be taken within the Department before the hospital is built. Like others, I recently met representatives of the private hospital sector. Representatives of one of those hospitals said they are prepared to build the elective hospital. I was a member of Cork City Council when I was Lord Mayor in 2003 and 2004. The city manager wanted to build an extension to City Hall. He brought in workers from the private sector who designed it, applied for planning permission, built and financed the project, which is being repaid over 25 years. Should we be looking for that type of system to allow for fast delivery of our elective hospitals? The current process means we will be lucky if a sod has been turned in five years' time for a new elective hospital.