Dr. Jimmy Sheehan:

I have a vested interest in this issue, namely, the future of our children. What strikes me when dealing with the other people seated by my side is the extraordinary commitment they have made to the future of our children. I have been involved in health care for all my life and this is my 60th year in health care. Having been involved in developing, commissioning and operating in the Blackrock Clinic, Galway Clinic and Hermitage Clinic, I have seen the importance of health care development over my lifetime. The reason I became involved in this issue is that I was disturbed by many of aspects of what was happening and concerned for the future of our children. As a result, I invested considerable time and effort in making an application to An Bord Pleanála about the difficulties arising from the decision.

One of the major difficulties is future proofing. I have seen what happens with hospitals over a period of 30, 40 or 50 years. It is 34 years since we developed the Blackrock Clinic and I have seen its expansion. In the Galway Clinic, we have had seven separate building projects in the 12 years since the hospital opened. Every hospital evolves and I became involved in this issue for these reasons. I assure the members that I have no interest in the matter from a commercial point of view. I can also state with absolute certainty that the same applies in respect of every member of the Connolly for Kids Hospital Group. We are all here for the same reason, namely, that we have a binding interest in the future of our children.

I have examined the costs involved in this issue. Developing on a greenfield site in Connolly Hospital as opposed to St. James's Hospital would save taxpayers approximately €200 million. This figure can be broken down very simply. There is no site available at St. James's Hospital. The only part of the chosen site that was not built on was a car park. I can provide the joint committee with a list of the 21 separate departments, including a number of non-clinical departments, located on the site. I estimate it will cost a minimum of €100 million to decant and replace these departments.

The diversion of the sewer will cost approximately €18 million. The building housing the car park has three floors, consisting of a two-floor car park and an underground energy centre. This will add approximately €30 million to the cost. Building on an inner city site will, as our application noted, cost approximately 25% more than the alternatives. This includes the €30 million cost of excavation to which I referred. There is an additional premium of 10% or €40 million. Considerable work must be done to fire-proof buildings when a helipad is located on them. The establishment of a helipad on the roof of a building is not recommended for medical use, other than in a last resort. This proposal to do so will add another few million euro to the cost. A large number of costs have not been quantified, for example, the protection of existing patients in St. James's Hospital from contamination with organisms such as aspergillosis by installing air conditioning and locking up the building. When one adds these costs together, one arrives at a minimum additional cost of €200 million for locating the hospital on the St. James's Hospital site.