Mr. Colm Desmond:

In general terms I agree. We have an obligation to plan for all stages of project implementation to ensure that we do co-ordinate the construction, as well as the necessary staffing and facilities. That is a significant challenge with such a quantity of the health infrastructure and estate that needs to be upgraded from what historically was perhaps a very varied base, albeit with some very big successes in certain areas in recent years. This is the first major significant hospital facility bringing together three hospitals. It is of its nature a very significant project anyway and it brought challenges with it. My colleagues can deal with the historical issues the Senator raised regarding the earlier phases of this. We deal very closely with our colleagues in HSE estates in respect of what we can negotiate with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform each year regarding the capital envelope. We have to operate within that each year and, within that, we then consider what is actually required from a contractual point of view and what it needed from the point of view of policy development so that we can meet those requirements within the funding available to us. It is important in that context that we take a longer-term view and the national development plan is providing us with that context. The Senator mentioned, for example, the hospital in Cork. I presume he is referring to the elective proposal.