Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will be providing a lot more detail in the coming days about various projects, including the paediatric unit. I fully support the project. I have met with the team at CUH several times on this. I can tell you that it will be an appendix 2 of the capital plan meaning there is funding there to progress detailed design and so forth. There is planning as the Deputy says, which CUH rightly has secured but the funding still has to be lined up regarding signing off, final detail design, going to tender and building it. I fully support the paediatric unit in CUH but the hospital needs a lot more than that. It needs a substantial additional number of beds. The oncology unit needs to be upgraded. A new trauma centre with a helipad is required. A very significant amount of investment is needed in CUH and I am working on it with the Department and the HSE