No public money to build regional hospital, Fine Gael TDs admit

There will be no public money available for the building of a new regional hospital in Navan and the only hope is that the project can go ahead through a public/private partnership (PPP), Fine Gael TDs told a meeting of Meath County Council on Monday. However, the TDs were hard pushed to explain how a PPP could proceed if only private investors' money was available. The meeting between councillors and Oireachtas members was convened after councillors had called for an update on plans for the new hospital for the north-east. Navan has been chosen as the location for the hospital but little progress has been made on the project. Official statements on the project have held out little or no hope that it can go ahead because of the current financial crisis. Government TDs at County Hall in Navan on Monday included Deputies Damien English, Regina Doherty and Ray Butler (Minister of State Shane McEntee and Labour TD Dominic Hannigan apologised for their inability to attend). Sinn Fein was represented by Deputy Peadar Toibín and Fianna Fail by Senator Thomas Byrne. Meath County Council director of economic planning and development, Kevin Stewart, said the background to the meeting was a letter from the council to Minister for Health Dr James Reilly asking him for a meeting to discuss progress on the hospital project. However, councillors had also asked for a meeting with Oireachtas members prior to that meeting. Cllr Joe Reilly recalled a meeting councillors had had with a HSE official in Kells who said that the HSE had submitted a proposal to the Department of Health that the project be progressed under a PPP arrangement. The HSE was to write to the Minister for Finance in respect of these proposals. In the meantime, the economy collapsed. Before last year's election, he said several Oireachtas members had made a commitment to a regional hospital, and he now wanted to know if they would live up to that commitment. Deputy English said that a regional hospital would be of enormous benefit to Navan, to the county and to the region. "We are fully committed to providing this hosptial," he said. The major priority at the moment was to protect the site chosen for the hospital. However, he added: "There is no public money to build this hospital. If the hospital is to be built, it will be by public/private partnership". If it was done in that manner, it could be provided within five years." Senator Byrne criticised the fact that there was just one Fine Gael councilor (Ann Dillon Gallagher) at the meeting. This did not show commitment or interest by the FG councillors, he said. Coming to the meeting, he expected to have more information from Minister Reilly or more than was available from the FG Oireachtas members at Monday's meeing, he added. There would have to be more follow-up and more commitment than was being shown at the moment, he said. Deputy English said that interest in the project had been expressed by a number of private investors but he refused requests to name them. Deputy Doherty said it was well-known that there were not "two red cents" available to build a regional hospital from public funds. The only way it could be built was through a PPP and the minister had no problem with that. She said there had been meetings with potential investors but all elected representatives would have to get behind tangible efforts to progress the project. Cllr Joe Reilly said he did not understand the logic of Deputy English saying that the project could only go forward through PPP yet the minister had said there was no public money for it. He suggested the backers of the PPP come forward to discuss their proposals with councillors. Deputy English said the minister would not talk to investors but would facilitate the HSE contacting them. Cllr Francis Deane asked if there was seed money available to push the project foerward. He said it depressed him to read the letter sent to the council last November in which it was stated that there was no plan to provide a new hospital in Navan. "We have five Meath TDs in power at the moment. If we ever had a chance for a hospital, now is the time," he said. Deputy Peadar Tóibín said there was a mandate from 10,000 people who marched through Navan to build a new hospital in the town. He said there were a number of actions that could be taken to put the project forward, and none of them would cost money. Cllr Shane Cassells said that what was needed was a commitment from Dr Reilly that he was progressing the hospital project.