Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 413: To ask the Minister for Health the number of beds planned for parents in the proposed new national children's hospital at the Mater Hospital site in Dublin; and his views that the number planned will be adequate to accommodate all those parents in view of the fact that they have had to travel a long distance and therefore have no choice but to stay in the hospital, whose children are in an inpatient ward for the long term and whose children are in intensive care. [38612/11]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 414: To ask the Minister for Health the way he will ensure that parents of children receiving tertiary care at the proposed National Children's Hospital are not charged Dublin city accommodation rates, when the EACH clearly states that parents should not need to incur additional costs or suffer loss of income - No additional costs shall arise for parents when staying with their child. They should be entitled to free overnight stay and free or subsidised food. [38613/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 413 and 414 together.

I am committed to the provision of a world class tertiary hospital for the children of Ireland delivering the highest possible quality of care with the best possible standards of accommodation. The in-patient accommodation proposed for sick children of the New Children's Hospital will meet all current standards. Each child will have a single en-suite bedroom, with space in the room for a parent to stay overnight with their child. This arrangement will support efficient bed management, as well as facilitating families from around the country as they care for their children, while ensuring appropriate standards of privacy and dignity. Parents will not be charged for staying with their child in this way.

In addition, separate accommodation is to be provided for parents of children who are being treated in the intensive care or high dependency units, where, for clinical, infection control and space reasons it would not be appropriate to provide beds for a parent to sleep in overnight. Such spaces will be furnished with "recliners" so that parents can stay close to their child during this intensive phase of treatment. In addition, a separate suite of rooms is to be provided close to the intensive care unit to support these parents.

Discussions are ongoing between the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board and the Ronald McDonald charity with a view to providing hostel accommodation adjacent to the hospital for parents and families of sick children, particularly those who are far from home or who have to spend long periods in hospital.