Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy raises an important point. Everybody should take pride in the fact that at long last we were in a position to make a decision that there would be a national children's hospital. It was followed by a decision in respect of the location of the national children's hospital and the agreement from the planning process and An Bord Pleanála that it should go ahead. Any of the associated costs will be for the single biggest construction project in this country for very many years, to look after all the children of the island, North and South, and it will be a magnificent achievement for a country that prides itself on family and children. At long last they will have a world class facility for the next 50 years or beyond.

The Deputy raises an important point regarding costs but these are all subject to being tendered in a competitive process. I can inform the Deputy that what he raised will be the subject of a formal Government memo shortly, which will be brought by the Ministers for Public Expenditure and Reform and Health to the Government. The issues raised in general about the range and costs will be central to that memo. Specifically, there will be a focus on the value-for-money process involved. The matter will be the subject of a formal memo very shortly and, arising from that, I hope everybody will understand the scale, nature and requirement of this particular project, which is in the interests of all the children of this island for the next two generations at least.

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