Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Independent)
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164. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on his Department’s proposals to co-locate the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin 1, with Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17136/15]

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Independent)
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165. To ask the Minister for Health when a decision on the location of the Coombe Hospital, Dublin 8 will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17137/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 164 and 165 together.

My Department is currently reviewing the recommendations made by KPMG (2008) in relation to the locations for the redevelopment of the Coombe and the Rotunda Hospitals. This review was necessitated by the decision to locate the new National Children’s Hospital at St James’s Hospital, and the consequent need to provide a maternity hospital on that campus in order to have a trilocated adult acute/paediatric/maternity facility.

My officials are currently finalising work in this matter and I expect to receive a submission from them shortly.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Independent)
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166. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to co-locate an existing maternity hospital with the national children’s hospital to be located at St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17138/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHB) is the statutory body responsible for planning, designing, building and equipping the new children's hospital. Board members have expertise in planning, procurement, engineering, architecture and paediatrics along with stakeholder representatives. The new hospital will be co-located with St James's Hospital. The project also includes two satellite centres at the campuses of Tallaght and Connolly Hospitals.

The Government’s intention is that a maternity hospital will be developed on the campus in the future, achieving tri-location of adult, paediatric and maternity services and providing comprehensive healthcare services to drive improved clinical outcomes for children and mothers. The Project Brief for the children’s hospital acknowledges this key policy recommendation, and accordingly provides for consideration of future maternity hospital requirements in certain shared service areas, underpinning future efficiencies.

Tri-location is consistent with the recommendations of the 2008 KPMG Independent Review of Maternity and Gynaecology Services in the Greater Dublin Area. In 2008, the proposal in the report was that the National Maternity Hospital be relocated to St Vincent's, the Coombe to Tallaght and the Rotunda to the Mater, achieving co-location of maternity and adult services in all cases, and tri-location of adult, paediatric and maternity services at the Mater.

With the decision to move the children’s hospital to the St James’s campus, these previous plans must be reviewed in respect of the Coombe and the Rotunda – the plans to redevelop the National Maternity Hospital on the St Vincent's campus are progressing. That review is ongoing and will be completed in the coming weeks. This is the first step in progressing the future tri-located maternity hospital.

The Development Board has advised that, in submitting its planning application for the children’s hospital, it intends as a matter of good planning practice to provide full information on all known future developments for the St James’s campus, including the tri-located maternity hospital. This will enable An Bord Pleanála to consider the children’s hospital planning application in the context of these future plans for the campus.