18 October 2006
Dr. Henry: The new children's hospital will be the largest project undertaken by the State in the medical area for decades. Senator Brian Hayes and others have done us a great service in discovering that no scoring process was employed in the evaluation of the six sites chosen as possible locations for the new facility. The rage felt by people in Tallaght is shared by staff in St. James's Hospital who believe their facility is in a much better position to serve the people, certainly in terms of access, because it is a national hospital.
It is of great concern that the chairman of the board of the Mater Hospital, in addressing a function in the hospital attended by the Taoiseach, thanked the Taoiseach for fulfilling his promise to have the national children's hospital located on the Mater Hospital site and for his undertaking that the new facility would be completed before the 150th anniversary of the hospital. The Taoiseach did not contradict the chairman's remarks. For the purposes of clarity, it would be a good idea if the House debated this matter.
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