Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Regarding tri-location, the Minister’s announcement on Tuesday was most unclear on the development of a new maternity hospital and the relationship between the St. James’s Hospital site and the Coombe hospital site. It was difficult at first even to confirm from the Minister’s presentation, which I watched on my monitor via the Internet link with the Government press conference centre, that the children’s hospital would be on the St. James’s site and not on the Coombe site, as the Dolphin report appeared to indicate as a live option. The Minister of State might be more clear in this regard, particularly on future plans regarding a new maternity facility. As has been said many times, no site was ever going to be ideal or perfect and whatever site was chosen would always pose challenges, including the St. James’s Hospital site. The disappointment of those who had made the case for other sites is understandable, particularly the Mater Hospital site, which had reached such an advanced stage. It is understandable that some will feel greatly disappointed by this decision.

That said, other matters must also be addressed now and my Sinn Féin colleague representing Dublin South-Central, Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh, has stated the St. James’s location is good news for one of the most disadvantaged communities in Europe, not merely on this island, and it is to be hoped the Minister will ensure there will be a social dividend to the local host community, over and above the jobs the hospital will bring to the area. There should be a local labour clause and the construction team and the hospital management should work with the nearby local regeneration projects to ensure they also benefit. There is ample evidence of how this can work on the island of Ireland and it is of huge importance to have a social clause in all of this as the project proceeds. The adjacent Fatima Mansions and partially derelict James’s Street should be borne in mind while building work is occurring on-site, with many empty apartments and retail units available for ancillary services and for homes for nursing and other hospital staff. A much wider view should be taken of the potential of this new development within its host community. It is to be hoped this will lead to the regeneration of local business in the vicinity and in the medium term will further encourage the long-awaited regeneration of the largest social housing complexes in Dublin, namely, Dolphin House and St. Teresa’s Gardens.

I echo the call on the Minister by my colleague to clarify for what future uses the existing children’s hospital buildings will be used. In particular, I am very interested in Our Lady's Children’s Hospital, Crumlin which has had recent building works carried out, including operating theatres, wards and other facilities. In the limited opportunity available at the end of this debate, I ask that a reply be given to these questions, as there is considerable concern as to the Government's intentions regarding those facilities, particularly those in Temple Street and Crumlin, with a particular focus on the latter in my case. I wish to place on record my support and that of my party for the proposal that the new hospital be named after Dr. Kathleen Lynn, founder of St. Ultan’s Hospital, medical doctor and participant almost 100 years ago in the 1916 Rising. She was one of the most courageous and dedicated of Irish republican women and indeed of Irish women generally. She laboured for decades in her hospital in the service of the children of the poor, which was both progressive and pioneering. As for her vision for its expansion, anyone who takes the time to explore the full story will note her efforts were thwarted by the then all-controlling hand of one John Charles McQuaid. We need the inspiration of women such as Kathleen Lynn today. She is a fine person to be so considered and for her memory to be respected into the future.

In conclusion, I urge that this national project be expedited and delivered as soon as possible. Every possible support and encouragement certainly will come from this quarter in that regard. I refer to what I hope is my understandable annoyance about a motion that literally was simply flown in.

It was landed on our tables without so much as a telephone call or a by your leave. That was utterly inappropriate.

We must now shift the focus entirely from where the national children's hospital will be located, as we hope to be absolutely certain it will proceed at the St. James's campus, which I fully support. We must now consider what the hospital can do for the children of Ireland. There is the matter of displacement, as mentioned by the Minister of State's colleagues earlier, and we still see young people in need of particular specialties being flown from here to Great Ormond Street Hospital. I have been directly involved in a number of cases from my own constituency and elsewhere in that regard, and it will be truly wonderful when the people of Ireland will be able to access all of its respective specialty and wider care needs at this new facility for the children of this country.

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