Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I am delighted to have the opportunity to say a few words on this Bill. Listening to Deputy Gay Mitchell, it is obvious the issue of the children's hospital is very much alive. I have a view on the matter that is diametrically opposed to Deputy Mitchell's. I speak with some experience. I was chairman of the save Temple Street Children's Hospital campaign more than a quarter of a century ago, before becoming involved in politics. Over the years I have watched the building deteriorate, despite the wonderful service provided by the nurses and the staff. I have watched the failure of successive Governments to deliver on the Temple Street Children's Hospital on the Mater Hospital site as was proposed at the time. I remember bringing the former leader of the Labour Party, Mr. Dick Spring, into the hospital in 1977 to see the conditions and he made an absolute commitment that if returned to Government Labour would build the hospital.

It is an absolute disgrace that Temple Street Children's Hospital has not been rebuilt on that site long before now. Rather than accusing the Taoiseach of putting his oar in in regard to getting the final decision on the national hospital, I would accuse him of flagrant negligence in the past ten years in not getting Temple Street Children's Hospital up and running. In 2000, €400 million was put aside in the national development plan for the project, yet at the 11th hour, on 29 December 2005, after planning permission had been granted and the tenders had been submitted, the Mater Hospital and Temple Street Children's Hospital were instructed not to open the tenders because McKinsey consultants was being appointed to look into the optimum type of structure for a children's hospital. It was not at the 11th hour but at the last second before midnight, with everything already prepared. It would be difficult to imagine this happening in a properly organised system. This looked once more like another hoop which Temple Street had to go through. The report then changed terms and recommended a national hospital rather than putting Temple Street or any other hospital on the site.

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