Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

The issue of the children's hospital has been a bone of contention. The overdue decision to refurbish Temple Street Hospital and to place it on the site alongside the Mater Hospital has now been extended to be a plan for a world class national children's hospital. Anybody visiting Temple Street Hospital would deplore the fact that it has taken more than a quarter of a century to deal with the Dickensian conditions there.

Whether the site is adequate is a non-issue because this question had been examined by the task force established following the Mackenzie report, which decided the site was adequate for the purpose. If further expansion is required, there is a 20-acre site across the road which is currently occupied by Mountjoy Prison and the prison Garda station. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has indicated long and loud he will close both facilities so there should be no difficulty in getting a certain amount of space from that site, which is literally across the road from the Mater Hospital. For the long term, considerable space is available.

Third, access is not an easy matter anywhere in this country or city due to the extraordinary congestion and traffic problems. However, there is a proposal for one of the metro stops to be located on the grounds of the Mater Hospital. It will be serviced with state-of-the-art public transport and is adjacent to both Connolly and Heuston stations, as well as being convenient for the North Circular Road and the Luas line coming from O'Connell Street.

For all these reasons, it is a desirable site. I firmly believe the project should proceed as expeditiously as possible. I would like it to be completed without further rancour, debate or controversy.

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