Taoiseach: No other children's hospital reports commissioned
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has today insisted that another independent report into the location of the new National Children's Hospital has not been commissioned.
It comes amid reports the former Dublin city manager John Fitzgerald has been approached as part of the process , although Mr Fitzgerald said that he is not involved at the moment.
Taoiseach Kenny said that the Cabinet will make a formal decision on the site for the facility in the next two weeks, after the Health Minister has put forward his recommendations.
The Taoiseach said that neither the Government or any of his Ministers have sought another report into the matter, aside from the Dolphin report.
"Did the Government commission another independent report in regard to the Children's Hospital? The answer to that question is No," he said.
"Did any Minister commission other independent reports into any of these locations? The answer to that question is No."
Labour leader and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore earlier insisted he completely trusted Health Minister Dr James Reilly to bring the hospital plan to Cabinet, despite researching the project himself.
Mr Gilmore revealed his officials had examined different options so he had the facts before Dr Reilly brought the final decision to Government.
The Taoiseach insisted only one report had been commissioned - the Dolphin report - which was launched earlier this year after An Bord Pleanála rejected controversial plans to build a 15-storey building on the Mater site in north Dublin.
Former Health Service Executive chief Frank Dolphin spearheaded the expert group to consider different locations for the state-of-the-art facility - including St James' Hospital in the south inner city and Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown.
The group, made up of planning experts, doctors and architects, did not rank the different sites considered, but left the health minister to consider observations made in the report.
He is expected to make his own recommendations to Cabinet within weeks.
Mr Kenny insisted no-one else had been appointed to compile a separate report.
"Don't be running away with the illusion that Minister Reilly or any other Minister, or the Government, went off to commission an individual or individuals to consider sites," he said.
The Taoiseach reiterated previous claims that while Dr Reilly would make recommendations, the final say as to where the hospital was built rested with Cabinet as a whole.
Earlier, the Tánaiste's decision to look into the issue himself raised further concerns of a developing rift between Labour and Fine Gael.
But Mr Gilmore defended the strength of the Coalition, saying he merely had his team present him with all the facts.
Last month, Labour's former Junior Minister Roisin Shortall controversially resigned after it emerged Dr Reilly added two sites in his constituency to her list of primary care health centres.
She went on to admit she and the minister had a personality clash and that he did not have the best interests of the programme for Government.
It was originally anticipated that the National Children's Hospital would be completed by 2016.
The planning appeals board rejected proposals in February, arguing that the original plans for a 74 metre-high building over 100,000 square feet was too large and out of place in the Georgian city skyline.
