Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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870. To ask the Minister for Health his views on whether it is fair that public funding is being used for the construction of private clinics to be used for private medicine at the new national children's hospital; and if the inclusion of same is a direct contradiction to the aims of Sláintecare. [19374/19]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The vast majority of services in the new children’s hospital will be public services. Within the plan for the hospital, an area has been planned which carries the designation of "private clinic". As part of the National Contract for Consultants negotiated in 2008, some consultants holding specific contracts are entitled to engage in private outpatient practice outside of their public commitment and this commitment must be conducted on site, that is, in the hospital they are contracted with. As a result, private outpatient clinics may be held on the public hospital campus but these clinics must be held outside contracted hours. The new children's hospital is obliged to provide such facilities for consultants holding such contracts. The proposal is for consultants to pay a fee for use of the rooms and other operational costs.

The Report of the Independent Review Group established to examine private activity in public hospitals has been received and is being examined in my Department. It is a comprehensive examination of private activity in public hospitals and contains a small number of recommendations. When the recommendations have been examined and considered in my Department and by other relevant Government Departments, it is intended to bring proposals to Government and to publish the Report thereafter.