Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I answered detailed questions on the children's rights referendum in the House last week. Deputy Flanagan asked a relevant supplementary question and I gave the full details on the up to date position; there has been no change since then. Work is ongoing and when it has been considered, it will be appropriate then to come back for discussion in the House and at the relevant committee on how to proceed and maintain the widest possible support for the issue.

The other issue has been dealt with. We have decided to build the national children's hospital on the site adjacent to the Mater Hospital following a rigorous analysis. The McKinsey report was published in 2005, the Department of Health and Children, the HSE and the OPW, following extensive consultations, published a report in 2006 and RKW published a report in 2007 which included a detailed assessment of capacity at the site that concluded that all requirements can be accommodated there while allowing room for expansion beyond 2021. That report was informed by clinical and architectural experts from major children's hospitals in Toronto, Philadelphia and Manchester. Since then, further work has been done. The Faculty of Paediatrics, the authoritative professional body representing paediatricians in Ireland, as late as 12 October last publicly supported the new hospital and recommended it should proceed as a matter of urgency.

Unfortunately the chairman has resigned and the issues are known. There was a question of how the remit of the hospital was to proceed with the building of the hospital on that site. Of the last 25 major paediatric hospitals worldwide, 24 have been built adjacent to adult hospital sites. I thank him for the work he did at the time.

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