Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 329: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if the plan which the Government has approved for a new national children's hospital will include a specialist ward for the care of sick children who also suffer from some form of disability; and if not, her views on commissioning an expert assessment of the case for such a ward. [7513/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The next stage of the process in developing the new National Paediatric Hospital involves the preparation of a high level framework brief for the new hospital. The brief is being developed for the Joint Transition Group by Rawlinson Kelly & Whittlestone Ltd (RKW), an established UK-based health care planning company. RKW will be advising on a range of issues which will help to inform the design of the new hospital. They will be advising, for example, on the preferred model of care, on the core services to be delivered at the new hospital, and on the additional range of services to be provided outside of the main hospital. RKW have also been requested to advise, as a priority, on the range of services which should be provided outside of the main hospital through the urgent / ambulatory care service, taking account of international best practice in the planning of children's hospital services. The framework brief will also inform decisions in relation to the size and type of accommodation to be provided at the new hospital, for both patients and their parents or guardians.

RKW will be consulting widely in the course of its work, and the input of stakeholders will be of benefit in ensuring the delivery of our shared objective of providing a world-class hospital for the children of this country, including those children who have special needs.