‘End of debate’ as planning to be lodged in weeks

PLANNING permission for a new National Children’s Hospital on a site adjacent to the Mater in Dublin city centre will be lodged within two weeks, the government confirmed yesterday.

Health Minister Dr James Reilly said the announcement would “end the debate” over the location of the proposed hospital, which could be up and running by the end of 2016.

However, that is more than a year later than previously scheduled, while the ultimate decision as to whether or not the project gets off the ground will only come after the plan has undergone the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review in the autumn.