150. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Health to provide a full update on the new 83 bed paediatric wing at Cork University Hospital; and the estimated timeline for construction and completion. [52170/26]

Cork University Hospital (CUH) has significant ambitions for the campus, including expanded inpatient bed capacity and Phase 2 of the paediatric unit. The new surgical hub is complete and due to open at the end of September 2026.

Phase 1 of the new Paediatric Department at CUH has been delivered and operational since 2017, providing dedicated paediatric outpatient accommodation, including dedicated facilities for paediatric cystic fibrosis outpatients.

Phase 2 will focus on Paediatric Inpatient Accommodation. When completed, the new paediatric unit will deliver 82 much-needed new and replacement inpatient beds. The paediatric development is part of the first phase of major campus developments at CUH of significant scale, cost, and complexity. A considerable amount of planning has been undertaken to ensure developments, such as the paediatric unit, are right-sized, clinically and health-planning informed, achievable and, ultimately, affordable.

The design of the building has been finalised for a five-storey extension to the existing paediatric unit, to provide, among other things, 82 paediatric in-patient bedrooms with high dependency units, palliative care suites, and haematology bed spaces. The tender process for a contractor to deliver the project closed on 10 July 2026.

Subject to the validation of the tenders and determination of a successful tenderer, it is expected that the construction work will commence in Q4 2026. The construction period will be determined by the successful contractor’s programme.

In parallel, a substantial package of enabling works has been under way since 2024 to support both the paediatric unit and the wider redevelopment of the CUH campus. These works included the design and construction of a new internal road with a large retaining wall at the rear of the site, and the introduction of a one-way traffic system so that construction traffic can be managed alongside the existing traffic on site.

Works are ongoing at present to clear existing structures on the location of the new paediatric unit. These works will include the demolition of an existing ward and storage wing. The laboratory and welfare accommodation will also be relocated to allow for construction of the new paediatric unit.