The Minister for Health must explain why she did not intervene sooner and publicly state that plans to locate the Rotunda Hospital with Connolly in Blanchardstown had effectively been abandoned by the government, according to Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice.
Deputy Rice, who is the party’s health spokesperson, made his comments after An Comisiún Pleanála overturned a decision by Dublin City Council to grant planning permission for a €100 million critical care wing at the Rotunda.
“Part of the reason for this extremely disappointing decision was the commission’s understanding that it was government policy to co-locate the Rotunda with Connolly Hospital – a plan that has been gathering dust since its inclusion in the 2016 National Maternity Strategy.
“However, on RTÉ radio this morning, the Minister for Health conceded that it was difficult to see such a move happening in the short-term.
“Why did the Minister not intervene sooner to make it clear that the co-location plan was no longer being advanced by the government? Coming out with this admission now – after the plan for this vital 80-bed unit has been refused – is too late.
“The 2016-2021 Infrastructure and Capital Investment Plan said the Rotunda would move to Connolly in the latter years of the plan. But there was no mention of it in the 2025 Sectoral Investment Plan for Health, which suggested that it had been quietly dropped.
“However, the current National Maternity Strategy, which does not run out until the end of this year, still states that the relocation of the Rotunda Hospital to the Connolly Hospital campus in Blanchardstown is planned. Even for the move to take place, Connolly would need to be upgraded to a model 4 hospital – something that has not happened.
“In the absence of any real progress on co-location, the Rotunda understandably took matters into its own hands and sought to expand on the existing site.
“This makes sense on so many levels. The Rotunda has a long-established link with the nearby Mater Hospital and the proposed critical care wing is desperately needed.
“It’s a bit rich for the Minister and other members of government to be coming out now to express disappointment at An Comisiún Pleanála’s decision when they could have intervened sooner and admitted that the Connolly option had been quietly dropped.”
February 17, 2026