Ba mhaith liom ceist thábhachtach a ardú leis an Taoiseach. Last week I attended a preplanning consultation meeting on the new children's hospital. I welcome the initiative by the chairman of the children's hospital group board, Ms Eilish Hardiman, to involve stakeholders, local people and elected representatives. However, two pieces of legislation are required which have been in the legislative programme since 2011 and perhaps even before then. They are the national paediatric hospital development board (amendment) Bill and the new children's hospital establishment Bill. Both Bills are tied to the work of the children's hospital group.

In the past I have asked when they are likely to be introduced, as the legislative programme suggests it is not possible to indicate at this stage when publication is expected. The work is going ahead and the development board of the children's hospital group intends to put in a planning application later this year. Would it not be reasonable to expect the national paediatric hospital development board (amendment) Bill to be introduced prior to that planning application being put in place? I understand the second Bill, the new children's hospital establishment Bill, will deal with the functions of the children's hospital both in the near future and when the hospital is completed by 2020, 2030, 2040 or whenever it happens. I hope the sooner the better, but can urgency be attached to these two items of legislation in order that they can be passed to facilitate the development of the hospital?

I will not give the Deputy a date for either Bill. The important point in this regard is that a very good board is in place. There is a good process in place and I am glad that Ms Eilish Hardiman is keeping people fully informed of what is going on. The date mentioned is 2019 or 2020, not 2030 or 2040. I hope the planning application can be lodged by the back end of the year and that it will receive proper consideration. I hope it will go through that process, as well as the remainder of the process for seeking tenders and all the rest of it, and that what will be the biggest infrastructural project in the country, to last the children of the island for the next 50 or 60 years, will be able to proceed. As the Deputy is aware, the Government has already left aside substantial moneys for the project.