Howlin insists national children’s hospital will be fully equipped and staffed

Minister for Public Enterprise Brendan Howlin has given a commitment that the new national children's hospital will be fully equipped and staffed when

built.

His assurance was welcomed last night by Minister for Health Leo Varadkar who, as The Irish Times reported yesterday, told Mr Howlin last August the Government had enough money to build the hospital but not to equip it. "If it is decided to cancel the new children's hospital [...]we should do so sooner rather than later," Mr Varadkar told his Cabinet colleague in a letter sent during the pre-budget planning process.

Mr Varadkar said yesterday the Government was committed to developing a new children’s hospital “we can all be proud of”.

Design team

“We recently appointed a leading design team to design the hospital, and the development board will apply for planning permission next year. In that context I welcome the commitment from Minister Howlin that the hospital will be fully equipped.”

However, Fianna Fáil health spokesman Billy Kelleher said Mr Varadkar's letter raised a question mark over the project going ahead.

“Either Minister Varadkar has discovered his predecessor’s budget planning for the hospital was woefully inadequate and the project is now genuinely under threat.

“Or he is fighting for extra funding and has taken to threatening his Coalition colleague in writing,”said Mr Kelleher