National children's hospital site decision
Senator Colm Burke defended the move from the Mater site, said planning permission was refused, and accused opponents of misrepresenting the history. Senator Clifford-Lee disputed him and insisted the real issue was governance and accountability.
I am very impressed by the presentations that have been made here on the national children's hospital by people who do not know what they are talking about. The project began in 2007, but the wrong site was identified because politics was played with it. The Mater Hospital site was chosen, but An Bord Pleanála refused to grant planning permission.
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The former leader of Fianna Fáil, Bertie Ahern, appeared on a radio programme on Sunday last and Conor Lenihan, a former Deputy, was also in the public domain claiming that the Government had changed the location of the hospital. That is not correct. An Bord Pleanála set out the reasons that the hospital could not be built on the Mater Hospital site. Let us get that clear.
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That is beside the point.
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That really is beside the point. The Senator should stop trying to muddy the waters.