John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I do not know which parents of sick children the Minister consulted, but I have spoken to a fair number in my constituency, and I have yet to meet one who is happy with this decision.

I wish to return to certain points. Dr. Pat Doherty has been mentioned, and he is quite clear that no meaningful input or consultation with the paediatric community took place. That is his major problem, and perhaps the Minister might respond to that very serious charge. She says that she has held discussions, but he says that experts have had no meaningful input.

At first they welcomed the idea of a single hospital, but they now have serious reservations regarding access. Many parents have raised that question with me. The hospital may be too small but cannot expand, since there is no open space. The Minister seems oblivious to the litany of complaints. Perhaps she might answer this. The McKinsey report states very clearly that co-location with an adult hospital, while perhaps desirable, is not essential. However, certain criteria are absolute, and those concern the hospital's future expansion and accessibility by road and public transport. I hope that the Minister agrees that we ought to listen to the experts in this matter.

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