Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I will be taking the Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney.

The Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin, incorporating the National Children's Hospital, AMNCH, was opened in June 1998. The hospital was built at a cost of approximately €180 million and has 588 beds available. It replaced outmoded and inadequate facilities in the base hospital with a modern, state-of-the-art hospital, of which we should all feel proud.

The hospital was funded by the Eastern Regional Health Authority until 2004 and since then it has been funded by the Health Service Executive. The revenue allocation to AMNCH has increased from €63 million in 1997, before the hospital moved to Tallaght, to €192 million in 2006. That is a considerable increase in nine years. This increase compares favourably with the increased revenue allocations to the other Dublin academic teaching hospitals over the same period.

Even in the relatively short period since the hospital opened, a number of capital projects have been completed at the hospital. These include, a new magnetic resonance imaging system, MRI, a picture archiving computer system, PACS, and ICT upgrades. A new symptomatic breast unit has been set up and a specialised breast surgeon is in place since 2002. A total of 28 additional consultant posts have been approved at the hospital since it opened in 1998. These posts include consultancy services in geriatric medicine, palliative care, neurology, and medical oncology.

Additional funding has been allocated to develop cancer services at the hospital. The Tánaiste officially launched the oncology day unit and a new pancreatic unit at the hospital on Friday, 23 June 2006. Given that new units have opened as recently as that, it would give the lie to the assertion that the hospital is being run down. A sum of €1.5 million in capital and €2.2 million in revenue was included in the Tánaiste's ten-point accident and emergency plan to support the development of an acute medical unit at the hospital. Almost €1 million was allocated in 2004 to 2005 for the development of renal services at the hospital.

The service developments I have outlined for the House represent tangible evidence of the Government's commitment to the continued provision of high quality, inclusive, multi-denominational hospital services at the Adelaide and Meath Hospitals, including the children's hospital, in keeping with the ethos of the hospital as outlined in the Adelaide charter.

I apologise as many of the Senator's comments related to the children's unit and this does not appear to have been covered in the reply. It is my understanding that all of the medical experts felt that what was required was one state-of-the-art children's hospital in Dublin. I am not an authority in this area but I presume accident and emergency services or short-term facilities for children would be provided on the south side, given that the north side has been chosen as the site of the proposed national children's hospital. I doubt that the provision of a full children's hospital on the south side would be envisaged.

All the medical experts appear to be of the view that what we require is one state-of-the-art hospital and that the very best facilities would be located there. I accept that the losing side is unhappy with the decision but I hope the medical experts will be of a united view. That was the approach they took prior to the decision being taken. They appeared to believe that only one hospital was required and I hope they will not begin to fight over patches at this stage. I accept what the Senator said and I will report it back to the Tánaiste. I apologise that the reply did not take on board more specific aspects of the question. The Tánaiste was recently in the hospital announcing new facilities and while services for children may not be as good in the future when the new hospital is up and running — which will take a few years — it would appear that the development of the hospital is considered a major part of the health service in the future and will be fully resourced.