Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy asked me whether there is a change in the position and I said there is not. I am sorry I cannot tell him anything new. The Deputy is well aware of the history of this issue, as am I. The position several years ago was that we had three hospitals in Dublin providing secondary care services for their respective catchment areas. I do not see any change in the Tallaght position, whatever happens. Tallaght Hospital has not undertaken sophisticated specialised work and so there is no change in its position. There was a question, since Harcourt Street Hospital closed down, whether cases have been taken in either Temple Street or Crumlin hospitals. There is no question that both of these are excellent hospitals.

Before the establishment of the HSE, the intention and plan, for some 20 years, was to move the Temple Street site to the Mater campus and set up a new unit there, something I strongly supported. The view was that Crumlin Hospital, because it was an old hospital built when the State had few resources, should be rebuilt on that or some other site and should continue as a children's hospital. The HSE's view, however, was that to go ahead and build new hospitals at the Mater and Crumlin was the wrong action to take. This was the professional view of Professor Drumm and others. The HSE brought in an international team to examine the issue and it formed the view that there should be only one specialist unit — not one children's hospital — to do the sophisticated work. That is its position and there is no change from that.

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