Hospital Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-05
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Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (FG), Dún Laoghaire

I agree. Of course, the heritage consideration was the dominant one in that third round for the decision-making. It still remains of importance to that area. However, balancing the public interest is something we do all the time. Dublin City Council and the inspector took the view that in the previous application, the public interest was overwhelmingly served by progressing with it. The deciding body in the end decided in the opposite direction. In many ways, what we say here informs the public interest. We are the representatives of the public in what we say in relation to the importance of the care of women. Successfully and correctly delineating the Rotunda from the colocation policy, which is important for other hospitals, is a significant step in that. I do expect the application to be well supported in the broader public interest.
The Deputy is correct that very little money was spent on the colocation of the Rotunda. However, an enormous amount of money has been spent on colocation policy generally in respect of Holles Street. That reflects the hierarchy of need. The need to move Holles Street was much greater because the patient safety need was much greater, the distance being greater between Holles Street and St. Vincent's than between the Rotunda and the Mater. That speaks to the priority placed on it.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-05/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-05