David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I learned today that the Minister is not in favour of shotgun or forced marriages and I agree with him on the site chosen and that we should get on with building the hospital, which we all want. It is a welcome development that the site has finally been chosen and we will now see the building of a new top quality national children's hospital, which will be an enormous addition to the health care infrastructure on this island.

I commend the Minister for the review carried out by him when he took up office and on the confirmation that the Mater Hospital site was the appropriate choice before the refusal of planning permission by An Bord Pleanála in February 2012. It seems clear that this process and the delay it caused in delivering a key project was less than ideal at the time. We have moved on and we now have a new site. The genuine question people have relates to the ring-fencing of capital funding for the project to ensure there is no issue about funding going forward. We all accept there has been too much delay. We can continue to engage in the blame game or we can move on and work together to ensure the hospital is built. In that context, the Minister will have my party's support to ensure that happens. I seek an assurance that the funding will be ring-fenced.