James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

The Deputy mentioned Temple Street, where I have been. I visited just before the election and met the doctors. There is no doubt that the hospital leaves much to be desired in terms of its structure. The work going on there is excellent but the conditions are Victorian. The need for a replacement is acute.

Deputy Ó Caoláin inquired whether external experts would be involved in the review. Absolutely. I want them to be people of the highest repute internationally. It has not been determined yet whether there will be three or four people. I wish to have the input of a paediatric specialist, a cost accountant and managerial economic expertise. It is very important that the hospital is built at an affordable price, that we do not start a hospital we cannot finish, and that we do not hold out false hope by starting on the process and finding in three or four years that we cannot finish it.

I remind Members that the International Monetary Fund is in town and it will be watching the process very carefully. I wish to ensure we get value for money but I reassure Members, that as a doctor, I am acutely aware of the benefits of collocation. Some things go beyond price. It will not be purely a case of whether the hospital could be built more cheaply somewhere else. The benefit of collocation to the patients, the young lives we seek to alter through the provision of the best treatment, must be borne in mind. They are the ones to whom we must give prime consideration.

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