Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 345: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the proposals to close down all of the existing children's hospitals in Dublin in favour of the development of proposed facilities at the Mater Hospital site; if her attention has further been drawn to the strong opposition to such a proposal, the likely serious damage to the availability and accessibility of hospital facilities for children, the limited capacity of the Mater Hospital site, and that a much greater site is available to the National Children's Hospital; if she has consulted with those who disagree to the relocation of the NCH to the restricted Mater Hospital site; if she has examined and compared the expected costs in the event of the relocation to the Mater Hospital site; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11792/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The development of the National Paediatric Hospital is being overseen by a joint HSE/Department of Health and Children Transition Group.

The current stage of the process involves the preparation of a high level framework brief for the new hospital. The brief is being developed for the 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 through the urgent/ambulatory care service, and on the location(s) for this service, taking account of international best practice in the planning of children's hospital services.

RKW is consulting widely in the course of its work, and in this context the input of all 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.