The Government has mandated the Health Service Executive (HSE) to begin developing a new national children's hospital on the campus of Dublin's Mater hospital, and says it will ensure the new facility is "multi-denominational and pluralist in character". Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent, reports.
Yesterday's Cabinet meeting rejected calls from two other Dublin hospitals for a review of the HSE decision to recommend the Mater site.
In a statement last night it said it "strongly endorsed the recommendation . . . that the new paediatric hospital be developed as an independent hospital on a site to be made available by the Mater Misericordiae Hospital".
The Government said the HSE recommendation was in line with the view of the report of the task group established to advise on the optimum location of the new hospital.
The statement said the Government had "agreed with the Tánaiste's proposals to examine the governance issues that will arise in the context of the amalgamation of the three children's hospitals in Dublin and, in particular, the measures needed to ensure that the new children's hospital is multi-denominational and pluralist in character".
While mandating the HSE "to move forward with the development of the new national tertiary paediatric hospital and associated urgent care centres", the Government also told the HSE "to explore any philanthropic proposals in relation to its development".
This is a reference to the proposal from Dublin businessman Noel Smyth on behalf of a consortium to build the hospital on a not-for-profit basis.
The Tánaiste defended the site-selection process last night after criticism from the boards of St James's Hospital and Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin.
In letters to Ms Harney this week St James's Hospital described the process by which the taskforce came to its decision as "fatally flawed".
Crumlin hospital described the report as "extremely short on detail and transparency".
However, Ms Harney said last night: "I am satisfied that the task group undertook a rigorous and robust examination of the key issues in making its recommendation that the new children's hospital be located on a site to be made available by the Mater hospital.
"The task group engaged in extensive consultations with the three existing paediatric hospitals, the three maternity hospitals and external experts in arriving at its recommendation, and gave in-depth consideration to the key issues of access, governance, clinical values and site suitability. The recommendation has been made in the best interests of children."