Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The people in Kerry and west Cork are also entitled to the best care, as well as the places mentioned in the Minister's speech. Parents will inevitably have to bring children from faraway places like Valentia, Slea Head, Ballybunion, Lauragh, Cahermore, the area west of Castletownbere, Sneem and many other places. Nine out of every ten children will have to come in by the M50. Of course, there will be problems for doctors, nurses and staff getting to work and parking at St. James's. From what we can see, there was no proper consultation with the ambulance services.

The situation with the helicopters was mentioned. The biggest and best helicopters should be able to land at St. James's but that will not be the case. I was in Lissivigeen the other evening, where there was a car crash and the patient was to be taken to Cork but, because of the wind, the helicopter had to take him to Limerick instead. We can imagine how, all along the west coast, which is windy nearly all the time, the largest helicopter would be needed to pick up child patients to bring them to Dublin but that helicopter will not be able to land. Will there have to be a transfer and where will the helicopter land with the patient?

We were told first that the hospital was to cost €400 million and it is now €1.2 billion. The reason for the increase is not the reason which was given, namely, the increase in interest rates. I believe the cost only became apparent when the construction companies were asked to tender to build the building. When they worked out their prices, they had to take into account the access constraints, such as the trouble to get materials in and out, the problems for lorries trying to bring in ready-mix and traffic management, which will be a savage problem. Opening times will be restricted because of the residential properties such as houses and flats all around the site. A contractor will not be able to start work at a time he would like. He cannot start at 6 o'clock in the morning and stay working until 8 o'clock in the evening because he will not be allowed to do so.

People locally will not let that happen because it will keep children and elderly people awake.

With regard to the timescale, I believe that it will take much longer and cost much more than what has even been suggested today. The site will prove to be the most difficult in terms of access and in terms of the hours that the builders will actually be allowed to work. If the building did not start for three more years on the greenfield site, I believe it would still be finished before St. James's, if that is where the hospital will end up being built.

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