Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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533. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the plan to construct a national children's hospital and the necessary steps which must be completed before construction commences; the reason for the delays that have occurred to date; when construction will commence; the timeframe for the entire project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44428/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board is the body with statutory responsibility for building the new children's hospital. In August I announced appointments to this Board to replace the transitional Board which had been in place since January 2013. These appointments bring architectural, planning, procurement, engineering and construction expertise and experience to the project. Also in August, I announced the appointment of members to the Children's Hospital Group Board. This Board will oversee the operational integration of the three existing paediatric hospitals in advance of the move to the new hospital and is also the client for the new hospital, and hence is critically important for the project as a whole. Ms Eilísh Hardiman was selected as CEO of the Children's Hospital Group in September following an open recruitment process through the Public Appointments Service and is expected to take up post in November.

Prior to the commencement of construction, key elements of the project include design development, decant works for the site and planning permission. The procurement process for the new design team was initiated in July. Following its appointment, the new Board reviewed that procurement process and have decided on a change of approach based on its collective expertise and experience and taking into account changing market conditions. While this change means that the design team will be selected in Spring 2014, rather than by the end of this year as originally planned, the new Board is confident that there will be no delay to the project overall, as time can now be recovered at contractor tender stage. In tandem, a review of urgent care centre(s) configuration is almost complete; the number and location of these satellite centres in the Dublin area is a key decision, as the size, activity and infrastructure of these satellite centre(s) has implications for the main hospital brief. Pre-application planning discussions have commenced while St. James's Hospital is working closely with HSE Estates and the National Paediatric Development Board in regard to the decant phase of the project.

Work by the new Board on developing a detailed project timeline is continuing, which will reflect the urgency and priority of the project and also its scale and complexity. However, at this stage, the Board is confident that construction can begin in Spring 2015.