Maria Corrigan (Fianna Fail)

I join colleagues in welcoming the Minister of State to the Chamber. I concur with Senator O'Malley's comment that this is a very exciting project. It provides us with a golden opportunity to create one of the world's greatest children's hospital, to which clinicians, educationalists and researchers from around the world will be attracted. I welcome Senator Cannon's contribution, his enthusiasm and his recognition of the importance of this project.

Donald Berwick has been quoted in the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health document, Guide to Understanding Pathways and Centralising Networks, as saying,

Great health professionals do not make great health care. Great health care professionals interacting well with all the other elements of the health care system make great health care.

That is what we are aiming to do with the establishment of this new hospital. By merging the three existing children's hospitals we will be pooling the expertise of some of the country's most prominent child health care experts in an effort to provide a world class paediatric service. It should be recognised that Ireland has a world class record in paediatric services, especially in paediatric oncology.

It is universally accepted within the paediatric health care community that the sickest children requiring access to highly specialist professionals, equipment and facilities can only be accommodated in one children's hospital. There is also unanimous agreement that the child population and projected health care demands of Ireland can support only one national tertiary hospital and that there is an urgent need for capital investment in children's health care services. The McKinsey report also found that international studies show that hospitals that treat higher numbers of cases with a critical mass in the depth and breadth of speciality services deliver significantly improved outcomes and experiences for children. That is something we have seen throughout all aspects of health care. Where we can achieve specialist centres and provide clinicians with the opportunity to hone their expertise, there are much better outcomes for patients. This has to be a driving factor behind the establishment of a national children's hospital. We want the best possible service for the children of our country. That is the only thing driving this development.

I was delighted to hear that the development board is making good progress in planning and developing the new hospital, that it has formally asked An Bord Pleanála for the project to be considered under the strategic infrastructure legislation and that it has had an initial meeting with An Bord Pleanála.

Colleagues have raised the issue of the location of the hospital and controversy and debate has surrounded the issue. I can only imagine what we would be hearing today if the Government had gone against the recommendation of an expert group. It was an expert group that recommended this location. The group was given a job to do, with terms and references. It did the job, brought back a recommendation and the Government accepted it. If the Government had not accepted that recommendation and gone with an alternative location, we would be hearing much more vociferous contributions today.

I take the opportunity of the Minister of State's presence to raise some specific issues. The National Rehabilitation Hospital in Rochestown, Dún Laoghaire, caters for adults and children with brain or physical injuries acquired as a result of accidents or medical events. Will there be a dedicated unit within the national children's hospital for children with brain or spinal injuries or other serious physical disabilities acquired as a result of a catastrophic event? There is a great opportunity here. Treating adults and children in the same setting is not ideal. It has long been the goal, even in the proposed redevelopment of the National Rehabilitation Hospital, to have a specialist centre for children. Within the confines of what is proposed for the national paediatric hospital, there may be an opportunity to meet that need. The establishment of the national paediatric hospital is also an opportunity to provide world class training and educational services. That is to be welcomed. It will be a much-utilised resource of benefit to all children.

I note it is intended to commence construction in the last quarter of 2011 and that it is hoped to complete the project by 2014. This would be very welcome. It is a very exciting project and I concur with colleagues who have said the sooner we can get on with building the hospital and putting it in place, the better it will be for our health services.