Hospital Facilities
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-17
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Kieran O'Donnell (FG), Limerick City

Once again, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. As I said, I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. The Government is clear that we need increased capacity at the Rotunda to ensure it can meet the needs of women, infants and families in the short term. My priority, and that of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is to work with the master, Professor Sean Daly, in making sure we take the correct steps to deliver appropriate neonatal care for the Rotunda as quickly as possible.
The Minister has spoken of her disappointment at the decision by An Coimisiún Pleanála, which references the longer term plans to relocate the hospital. To be frank, the time needed to co-locate the Rotunda with another acute adult hospital would by far exceed the delivery time of this new critical care unit, which is needed now. The successful relocation of the Rotunda will require a strategic reassessment of prevailing conditions and factors that impact the project at the time of the planned relocation. This would also need to be viewed in the wider context of all hospitals in the region, including Connolly Hospital. The Rotunda is currently working closing with the Mater hospital, a model 4 hospital that the Deputy referenced. It has a protected blue light corridor to provide adult acute services when needed.
The priority now is to support the Rotunda to continue to provide essential maternity and neonatal services. Given the importance of infrastructure to Ireland's social and economic success, under an ambitious plan under the revised national development plan, all stakeholders need to engage willingly in open dialogue around planning concerns. The health needs of women and infants presenting to our service are increasingly complex and the National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026 is in its final year. It has been driving national reforms across our services to better meet these needs.
We have committed in the programme for Government to developing a successor to the national maternity strategy. It will consider a broad evidence base and will involve policy considerations that may have evolved since the first strategy was initiated ten years ago.
I will bring back the specific points raised by the Deputy to the Minister.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:38+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-17