Minister for Health Mary Harney has rejected proposals to establish the planned new national children's hospital on a site between Newlands Cross and Citywest in west Dublin as an alternative to the Mater hospital location. Miriam Donohoeand Martin Wallreport.
Yesterday it emerged that developer Richard Farrington has sought planning permission for a 450-bed children's hospital on the site.
He also plans to develop a 220-bed maternity unit and an adult hospital close by.
Mr Farrington has proposed selling the site to the State.
However, Ms Harney said the proposal was not an alternative to the Government's plan for the children's facility because it was not beside an adult teaching hospital.
She insisted the plan to develop the children's hospital on the Mater site would proceed.
Ms Harney and the Health Service Executive (HSE) said the taskforce which recommended the Mater site last summer had considered broadly similar proposals to those put forward by Mr Farrington.
"That particular facility was considered by the taskforce. Mr Farrington made an application along the lines with what is in some of the newspapers this morning and, in the main because it is not co-located with an adult teaching hospital, it was not suitable," Ms Harney said.
She said the McKinsey report had recommended that the new children's facility be co-located with an adult teaching hospital.