Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Hopefully, there will be no unnecessary deaths. The children this hospital will most the benefit are very sick children who must endure very cramped conditions in Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin. These conditions go back 30 or 40 years. For the first time in this country, there is a commitment by this Government and the previous one to build a national children's hospital.

I will contribute my own thoughts on this matter. I have long been involved in the lead up to the decision to locate the national children's hospital on the St. James's Hospital site. I do not think that some of the Deputy's accusations that certain buildings will need to be knocked down are true. An extra 670 car spaces will be provided for families. Some of the staff live less than 20 minutes away while some who arrive by car live less than ten minutes away so saying that this will present a problem for staff is an overstatement.

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