Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair and the Minister. On the promise on the Coombe, the exact wording of the Taoiseach was that the work would happen "in parallel". If the Minister tells me building A is going to be progressed in parallel with building B, it suggests to me that bricks will go up at the same time. That is pretty reasonable.

I would like to return to the core question again. We can go back and forth on the detail, which is fine, but ultimately the only question that matters to mothers, fathers, babies and staff is when. There must be a project plan for each hospital. Does the Minister have one for each? If so, will he share the date for when the new hospital will be open on the St. Vincent's site? When will the Coombe be opened on the St. James's site and when will the Rotunda be opened on the Connolly Hospital site? Ultimately, this is all that matters. Will the Minister commit to starting to provide funding in the next year's budget, in the service plan for the Rotunda? As the master said, and as we both know, it is only a matter of time until a baby dies because of the overcrowding the hospital is dealing with.

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