Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge that we had a bit of news on this issue earlier in the week, in an article featured in the Irish Examiner, courtesy of Danny McConnell, who is sitting above us. The early indications coming out of the announcement seem to suggest the confirmation we have all been looking for in Cork North-Central. Deputy Barry opposite and all the Deputies in Cork North-Central - well, many of us - have been fighting the corner for this hospital to be located in Glanmire, and it now appears that will be the case.

We have all had the debate on the preferred site, as I said, over the past 12 months, if not longer. An existing mental hospital in Sarsfield Court is being used currently. There are more than 100 acres, which will allow for future expansion. There are many positive attributes to the site, with it being so close to the motorway, which, in the future, if it is developed, will lead to greater accessibility for patients and users. We have sung the praises of the Sarsfield Court site for many months now, and it seems we are coming to a close on this issue. I believe that it will be finalised before Cabinet next Tuesday or Wednesday. All that is looking positive. The new hospital will include nine operating theatres, seven endoscopy suites and six outpatient diagnostic suites and, when operational, will have a staff complement of approximately 300. All that is being delivered by the Government as we build towards a future Sláintecare model.

I will quote the phrase the Taoiseach used the other day in the Dáil, which featured in the same article in the Irish Examiner. He said we need to take this issue "by the scruff of the neck".

On many occasions, when it comes to large items of infrastructure and the national development plan, the Taoiseach has told the House that it is all about delivery. What we need to see is no more speculation about this. We need to see a decision. We need to see it progress through tender and planning and see it delivered as quickly as possible. There is speculation that the hospital will be delivered as early as 2027 or 2028. When we are speculating we should remember that the best way that the Government can facilitate that kind of timeline is in the upcoming review of the Planning Act which is being led by the Taoiseach's office and the Attorney General. In that legislation, we need to see the provision for large-scale strategic infrastructure like this so that it can be treated expeditiously and in a streamlined manner so we can get on with taking it by the scruff of the neck, as the Taoiseach said, and with delivering it. There are a number of capital projects in the Glanmire area. The flood relief scheme has been well spoken about in here in recent months. That has been slowed down because of difficulties in planning initially that went on for an awfully long time. Most recently, the cost of building materials and inflationary pressures has set back the project by some months. Happily, it is back on track for maybe March-April next year.

If the Government is serious about these hospitals, not just in Cork but also in Limerick and Galway, then we need to see delivery not only on the ground but in the legislation that is meant to come before us in the next couple of weeks to reform the Planning Act which will facilitate those large infrastructural projects.

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