Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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137. To ask the Minister for Health the reason a private facility that cannot be accessed by all children will be included as part of the new children’s hospital which is funded from public funds. [22162/19]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The vast majority of services in the new children’s hospital will be public services.

However, 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. 

Within the plan for the hospital, an area has been planned which carries the designation of "private clinic". Within the ‘private clinic’ area the following has been drawn:

- 1 x reception desk area x 7m2

- 1 x feeding room x 4m2

- 1 x wait area x 16m2

- 1 x play area x 8m

- 8 x consult/examination rooms x 16m2

- 1 x WC x 3m2

- 1 x clean utility x 9m2

- 1 x dirty utility x 7m2

- Total area: 180m2

This work is planned to proceed at the building commissioning stage in the year before the building opens.