Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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575. To ask the Minister for Health when building will commence on the new children’s hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6968/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board is the statutory body responsible for planning, designing, building and equipping the new children's hospital. The new hospital will be co-located with St James's Hospital, and ultimately tri-located with the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital, which will re-locate to the campus in due course. In addition to the main hospital, the project includes two satellite centres at the campuses of Tallaght and Connolly Hospitals.

On 10 August 2015 the NPHDB submitted a planning application for the new hospital and satellite centres to An Bord Pleanála.

The oral hearing process began on 30 November and heard submissions from key stakeholders and interested parties, before concluding on 15 December. An Bord Pleanála will consider all of the evidence presented and I look forward to the planning decision which is expected in the coming weeks.

Subject to planning, work is scheduled to commence on site in the summer of 2016.