Mr. John Pollock:

I thank the Chairman, Deputies and Senators for inviting the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board to attend their committee to provide an update on progress of the new children’s hospital on the shared campus with St. James’s Hospital. I am delighted to be able to share news of significant progress on this much needed and much wanted project.

Joining me this morning is Ms Eilísh Hardiman, the chief executive officer of the Children’s Hospital Group; Dr. Sharon Sheehan,Master of the Coombe hospital, Dr. Peter Greally, group clinical director of the Children’s Hospital Group board, and Ms Caitríona Sharkey, a parent who has had extensive interactions with paediatric services in Dublin.

Due to the scale and complexity of the project, we circulated some pre-reading materials to the members. I hope they have had the opportunity to review some of those materials.

This morning I will provide an update on the design and construction aspects of the project while my colleague, Ms Hardiman, will give an overview of the extensive progress that has been made on the integration of services across the three children’s hospitals at Crumlin, Temple Street and Tallaght.

Before I commence the progress update, I want to say that, like the Connolly for Kids Hospital group, we, too, want to do the best for our children. We also are parents and grandparents. We have children, and we want to do the best for them. We are also driven to make sure we provide the best facilities for all our children.

With regard to the progress update, commencing in September 2013, the role of the current National Paediatric Hospital Development Board is to plan, design, build and equip the new children’s hospital at the St. James’s Hospital campus in addition to two paediatric outpatient departments and urgent care centres - one at Tallaght hospital and one at Connolly Hospital - a 53-bed family accommodation unit and the children’s research and innovation centre on a shared campus with St. James’s Hospital.

Following two years of procurement and design work by an international team and thousands of hours of engagement with families, young people, staff, local communities and three local authorities, a planning application for the new children’s hospital and the associated developments was submitted to An Bord Pleanála in August 2015. The application included a master plan, which is an important point, for the overall campus development at St. James’s Hospital showing how up to three times the current area, including the relocated Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital, can be accommodated on this 50-acre site; a world-class children's hospital with 6,000 rooms, extensive gardens, including the rainbow garden which is the length of Croke Park; a hospital design and capacity based on measured activity currently in the hospitals, unmet clinical need and future projected demographics for the next 20 years. When we open this hospital it will not be operating at full capacity and it will be 20 years before it reaches its full capacity. Moreover, we submitted an environmental impact statement which comprehensively tested traffic and accessibility issues and concerns.

A ten-day public oral hearing was held in December 2015 which allowed those who are supportive of the project and those who have concerns about the location to air their views and have their questions answered. I am pleased to say that in April of this year, An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for the new children's hospital and the various elements I have described. No changes were required to our design by An Bord Pleanála.

This major milestone for the most significant health care capital project ever undertaken by the State was welcomed broadly by families, young people, the staff of the three children’s hospitals and those who have campaigned for almost 20 years to deliver this much needed resource. Since planning permission was obtained, in August 2016 the development board appointed a contractor for the enabling works. Those works are currently under way, including site clearance and demolition works. Currently, we are in possession of approximately nine acres of land on the St. James's Hospital site. Early in the new year, the full 12 acres will be handed over to us. The Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, together with children and young people who are current and former users of paediatric services, helped to get the digging under way in August.

With regard to the overall programme, tenders will be received by the end of this month. By tomorrow, we will have all construction tenders back for both the main children's hospital and the satellite centres. They will be evaluated before Christmas and we will bring a recommendation to Government in terms of our preferred contractor and to confirm the cost of the project, with a view to appointing a main contractor in January of next year. The urgent care centres at Tallaght and Connolly hospitals will be completed in 2018 and, two years later, the main children's hospital on the St. James's Hospital campus will be completed at the end of 2020.

The hospital is about much more than bricks and mortar. It is about the staff, children and young people who will deliver and receive world-class care within the new buildings. I ask Ms Hardiman to provide an update on progress from a paediatric services perspective.