Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The need for this hospital has long been debated. There were delays in the initial stages about the location and it was decided that it should be in the middle of the city. I still question whether that was wise, but is too late to go back on that.

If there had been delays at the beginning to ensure the design was right everybody could have understood that. However, it seems that there has been change after change, which has caused delays and additional costs. This is taxpayers' money. While we need this state-of-the-art hospital, it was never predicted to cost as much as it has. It is one of the most expensive hospitals in the world. It should never have got to this stage.

There is also matter of the attitude towards building public facilities, services and so forth. I feel the UNCRPD is not being taken seriously across Departments. To ensure that any buildings, services or whatever else is being provided by a Department or public body is accessible to all, there needs to be engagement with disabled people. I am not sure that has happened in this case to the degree that it should have or that it is happening across the board in many projects.

There is a delay in the reporting cycle at the UN on our progress on the convention to date. It will be some time before we get feedback from it, which is a resource issue at UN level. We need to ensure that we are compliant with that convention and there is inclusivity and fairness. I hope the hospital is fully accessible. If there are any issues, I hope they have been addressed at this stage and that the project will proceed as quickly as possible. It is unfortunate that things like this are coming out at this stage. We need clarification and to ensure the hospital is accessible to all.

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