Jimmy Devins (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

It is not on the same site. In the midst of all the furore and discussion, a few salient points appear to have been ignored by some people. The decision to build a state-of-the-art, world-class children's hospital, equipped and staffed to tertiary care level, is to be warmly welcomed. Such a facility has been sadly lacking to date. Children need this facility and it is not before time to build it. In all the discussion I have heard, this important point appears to have been forgotten at times.

At the moment, secondary care level for children is provided in general hospitals all over the country and in the three children's hospitals in Dublin. What has not been provided to date, yet is badly needed, is a hospital equipped to tertiary care level. I understand that such a hospital is only viable when it serves a population base of between 3.5 million and 5 million, which just happens to be the current demographic position in this country.

Up to now, tertiary care has been provided on a separate basis between the three Dublin children's hospitals. By that I mean that some specialties are available in one hospital while others are available in the other two. It makes sense to provide all the essential specialties of paediatric care in one hospital, so that inter-referral between specialties and the use of other departments' expertise can be obtained under the same roof. Ireland has lacked this type of hospital up to now. Best international experience informs us that such a hospital is badly needed. Let us move forward and build this facility as soon as possible. Sick children require such a hospital. Their parents not only want such a hospital to be built, they are demanding that it should be built as soon as possible.

I fully support the decision to provide this hospital and I commend the Government for proceeding with its construction. Unfortunately, that fundamental point has been overlooked in all the hysteria surrounding the location of the hospital. It appears unseemly and is at times unsightly to witness the decisive battles in which some people are engaging over the hospital's location. No site will satisfy everybody. Since we live in the real world rather than an ideal one, no location will satisfy every box in any selection process. Many suggestions have been made about the location. Unfortunately, however, in many cases, depending on the arguments being made it is easy to trace the origin of the suggestion. It is no secret that long and difficult discussions have been going on over the location of such a paediatric hospital for many years. Eminent consultants have apparently engaged in localised turf wars to protect their own hospitals. While locally this may be understandable, in the greater scheme of things it can be disastrous. For the sake of sick children, and not just those in Dublin, I plead with the paediatric consultants and nurses in all three Dublin children's hospitals to bury their differences, embrace change and support the building of a new super-hospital as soon as possible. We have had enough in-fighting, so let us move on.

The new national children's hospital will provide care at tertiary level. We will still need many paediatric beds in Dublin to provide secondary care. These beds can be provided in existing adult hospitals — for example, in Tallaght Hospital or on other sites. Let us be clear, however, that the country needs a single tertiary hospital. The HSE commissioned experts to choose the location of this hospital. They chose the Mater site, so let us build on it now.

The paediatric unit at Sligo General Hospital has been providing care of the highest quality to sick children for many years. I pay tribute to the doctors, nurses and all other staff who have made the reputation of the paediatric unit in Sligo what it is. This is all the more remarkable when one considers the cramped, out-of-date facilities that patients and staff have had to endure for years. There have been many promises over the years that the paediatric department would get an up-to-date modern facility. There have been many false dawns. Staff and patients have watched in dismay while other sections and departments within Sligo General Hospital have been extended, renovated or newly built. I know that the staff have no problem with other developments and improvements in the hospital, but at this stage they want a department that will allow them to provide the requisite level of care to their patients. As long ago as when Fine Gael was last in Government, the paediatric staff were promised a new facility but nothing has happened. There is a deep sense of frustration, if not downright anger, that the paediatric unit in Sligo General Hospital is not getting what is needed to provide the right level of care in 2007. The staff do not want any more promises, they deserve a modern paediatric unit. I ask the Minister of State to intercede with the HSE so that this much needed and long overdue facility can be provided as soon as possible.

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