Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

I think it is the wrong site and I want to say why. I will say it to the Senator's face. It is the wrong site because for people coming from all over the country, it takes one hour to travel from Newland's Cross to the Mater Hospital. The new national children's hospital will not just be a facility for Dublin city. The location of the new hospital must be suitable for children from all parts of the country.

An international expert group should be allowed to examine this issue for a month or so. It could re-examine all the arguments and ensure that we will make the right decision. This will be the most important decision on paediatric care in this country for a generation, so we must get it right. Holding the decision off for a month will not unduly stop the project. It is the right thing to do at this stage. I am seeking a debate next week with the Tánaiste present to tease through those arguments. Important contributions to the debate have been made by St. James's Hospital, Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, and Tallaght Hospital, which incorporates the old Harcourt Street National Children's Hospital. This will be a national facility and we must get it right. Delaying the decision by a month or so will not be detrimental to the ultimate project.