Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 684: To ask the Minister for Health if he has received communication from consultants, GPs, health professionals or patient representatives in general in regard to the optimum location for the proposed new children's hospital; if he will have due regard for the need to ensure that such a hospital is readily accessible from a road traffic point of view; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29804/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Regarding the national paediatric hospital project, as you will be aware, I established an independent Review Group to consider the implications of the decision of An Bórd Pleanála, received on 23 February 2012, to reject the planning application for the proposed construction of the hospital on the site of the Mater Misericordiae Hospital. The aim of the Review was to consider all the possible options for the earliest possible delivery of a new children's hospital. The terms of reference of the Group were as follows:

To inform itself about the planning considerations and processes affecting this project.

To consider the different options which now exist for progressing the construction of a national children's hospital having regard to –Government policy on the delivery of health services, including accessibility and paediatric services in particular and best clinical practice considerations,

(b) the cost and value for money considerations of the different options,

(c) the likely timelines associated with the different options,

(d) the implementation risks associated with the different options.

To advise him, in the light of these considerations, on the appropriate next steps to take with a view to ensuring that a national paediatric hospital can be constructed with minimal delay.

To report to the Minister within 56 days of the first meeting of the group.

The Group received a large number of submissions and met a wide range of stakeholder and representative groups during its deliberations. The Group has now presented its report, which I intend to consider carefully before bringing to Government.