Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have questions. Have we any regard for the sick babies that we have been told about by the eminent professor?

I received a reply to a parliamentary question from the Minister for Health today which is full of waffle about co-locating. He stated that a site for the proposed maternity hospital is identified in the St. James's site master plan. It is just an identified site. He went on to state that the design of the new children's hospital has incorporated the required operational links with both the maternity and adult hospitals. He also stated that the construction of the new maternity hospital will not commence until the new children's hospital is completed. Where are the sick babies going to go?

An eminent professor who has not got involved in this campaign at all came into a briefing of mine two months ago and said he had to come in and speak out. Deputy Wallace was also there. The professor said that there are only minutes to intervene when babies are born with profound and life-threatening brain damage. He was asked, by Deputy Wallace or somebody else, how many minutes he meant and the professor said a maximum of 12. We need co-location and it is not happening here. The Minister must know that at this stage.

These are the sickest children and their families. The eminent people from the Connolly for Kids group wanted the site outside the city where we had room. The Government got PwC to give it a rubber stamp to cover up its inadequacies. That was all it was. Finding out things that Mazars stated-----

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