White: Government have looked at children's hospital planning issues

Junior Health Minister Alex White has today dismissed reports of possible difficulties in building the new National Children's Hospital.

His comments come after the Office of Public Works told the Sunday Business Post that the zoning of the land is "no longer clear" following a High Court ruling earlier this year.

The OPW has also warned that the development is expected to be too large for planning guidelines.

The new facility is set to be built on the site at St. James' Hospital in Dublin.

Junior Minister White has said that the Government has done extensive research on the matter, however.

"All of the planning implications and difficulties and otherwise with the different sites were looked at in the course of the last few month," he said.

"The Dolphin Group prepared a report, the Government actually then, once we got the Dolphin Report, had its own assessment, two planners were asked to look at the contents of the report, and the various different locations that were dealt with there."