Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-09
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Peter Burke (FG), Longford-Westmeath

I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice for a very important and timely question on the National Rehabilitation Hospital. From our constituency clinics and working in our community, we all know how important a piece in the jigsaw of rehabilitation the National Rehabilitation Hospital is. Critically what really stands out is the work that can be carried out for patients with early intervention after accidents, acquired brain injuries or traumatic experiences. We are all very aware phase 1 was opened three years after construction commenced in October 2017. The facility represented a €129 million investment on behalf of the State. Phase 2 will provide 120 new beds and provide additional outreach to Deputy Fitzmaurice's constituency and other constituencies around the country, which will be very welcome and very much supported.
I understand that phase 2 proposals are estimated to cost more than €200 million. A strategic assessment is currently being prepared in accordance with the Government's infrastructure guidelines. The Deputy will know of decisions taken over the past number of weeks to speed up capital infrastructure. We will deliver €175 billion in infrastructure over the next decade. It is critical that the Government can carry out the assessments that underpin that delivery on a timely basis. The assessment is being prepared under the revised infrastructure guidelines. I am not aware that the Department of Health has received the final assessment to give it the go-ahead as of yet. I am very much aware of this and I will bring the Deputy's comments to the Minister for Health. The National Rehabilitation Hospital has been an important a piece in the jigsaw for so many patients who find themselves there as a result of an accident, illness, injury, or physical or cognitive disability. It has been critical in their rehabilitation and in many cases bringing them back to functioning in society again, which is so important.
Under the investment plan, the Department of Health has a record capital allocation to deliver a world-class health system, supporting citizens right across the country. We have a lot of work to do and the NRH would be very much to the forefront of my mind. I will make the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, aware of the Deputy's concerns. I hope that under the new revised infrastructure guidelines the report will be delivered in a timely manner and critically that we can get on with delivering phase 2 of this much-needed facility.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-09