Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am pressing the amendment. It is a pity that we are left with the national paediatric development hospital or whatever title we want to give it today as an operational or brand name. The hospital is being built and will probably open in two years. We are all waiting with bated breath. The plan was welcome and it will be a beautiful hospital, but it does not have a name. The name we are proposing is appropriate, including because the site featured in the 1916 Rising. The South Dublin Union was held by the volunteers, so St. James's Hospital has that history as well.

If we associate the new children's hospital with a pioneering medic, nobody will give out. If the amendment is defeated tonight, I will have no problem encouraging all of those I mentioned earlier and others who have contacted me in recent weeks and over the years to liaise with whatever consultative mechanism is set up to try to come up with a name. It is often a bad approach to agree everything by committee because we will end up not delivering for everyone. In this case, the State has the power. It is providing the money and it can make the decision. It should, therefore, call it rather than delaying this issue unduly as has been the case thus far.

See this speech in context