Mr. Fred Barry:

Deputy O'Connell asked about a number of topics. On the site, certainly there is a great big hole in the ground, with an enormous amount piled around it. There is a four storey building on one side and there is another coming out of the ground. Therefore, a lot of work has been done on the site and the idea of moving to a new location should be removed from everyone's mind. An Bord Pleanála turned down the application for planning permission for the development on the Mater hospital site. It gave planning permission for where it is to be built at St. James's Hospital. There is no certainty that it would not turn down an application for planning permission to build it on another site. If that were to happen, it could be five or six years before the tendering process could even start again. If the project is to be delivered, it needs to be delivered where the hospital is being built.

There has been extensive value engineering and de-scoping work done and more or less everything that can be gleaned from it has been gleaned. There are still some bits and pieces being done, but, as I mentioned, they will only generate modest savings overall. I think the facade is on order and being manufactured. We are, therefore, much further along than it appears. Even though construction work on the site is only starting to come up from basement levels, there are orders in place for equipment.