Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 64: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the situation with regard to the planned new children's hospital on a Dublin site; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15486/06]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 76: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if, in view of recent reports that the decision on where the State's new national children's hospital will be located will not be made for several more weeks, she will provide the reasons for this delay and the exact timeframe for a decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15452/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 76 together.

On 3 February last, the Health Service Executive published a report which was prepared by McKinsey & Co., on the delivery of tertiary paediatric services in this country. This report was commissioned by the HSE following my request to it to arrange a review of those services.

The report recommends that best outcomes for children would be obtained by developing one national tertiary paediatric centre, which would also provide all secondary paediatric services for the greater Dublin area. The report also recommends that ideally the new facility should be located on the site of, or adjacent to, a major adult teaching hospital in order to achieve the maximum service benefit for children.

Arising from the report's recommendations, a joint HSE-Department of Health and Children task group was established to progress matters and to advise on the optimal location for the new facility. The task group has worked intensively over the past six weeks and, in the course of its deliberations, a number of important issues arose that were not included in the group's original remit. In particular, the importance of co-location with a maternity unit has been identified as an issue of significance. In addition, a number of proposals have been received from the private sector in relation to the building of the new facility. The task group's remit has, accordingly, been extended to allow the group to examine the issues which have arisen, as a consequence of which the group is now expected to report around the end of May.