Agenda item

            (Ms. D. Murtagh, Principal Solicitor, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting on 1st July, had passed unanimously the following Notice of Motion:

      “Belfast City Council calls on the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety and the Northern Ireland Executive to make the completion of the new regional hospital for children and women, on the site of the Royal Group of Hospitals, a matter of top priority in the next comprehensive spending review.

      The Council calls on the Minister of Health and the Executive to secure the resources now for clearing the site, which is an essential first step in progressing the new hospital for children and women.

      The Council agrees to work in partnership with the Royal Maternity Hospital Liaison Group to lobby the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly to secure the capital funds necessary to build the new regional hospital for children and women.”

            The Head of Committee and Members’ Services reported that copies of the Motion had been forwarded to both the Assembly and the Minister for Health.  A response had been received from the Minister for Health in which he had indicated that his Department had not received adequate funding in the current budget allocation for the new regional hospital.  However, he had commissioned a review of Capital Priorities over the next 10 years.  Also, a revised business case for the new hospital, which would include phased options for the proposed development, including the possibility of advanced site clearance and enabling works, was being developed by the Belfast Trust in the context of the Review.  Only when the business case had been submitted and scrutinised could a decision on the funding and timing of the project be taken.

            In addition, a response had been received from the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service in which he had stated that it would be inappropriate to engage the Executive in a matter in which the responsible Minister himself had yet to determine the way forward and might himself wish to bring to the attention of the Executive in due course.

            The Head of Committee and Members’ Services reminded the Members that, prior to the meeting of the Council, the Committee, at its meeting on 20th June, had agreed to hold an informal meeting or briefing session to enable representations of the Royal Maternity Hospital Liaison Group to brief the Members on the situation with regard to the new regional hospital.  The final part of the Motion had committed the Council to work in partnership with that group but, rather than hold a special meeting, the Chairman of the Committee had felt that it would be more appropriate for the group to make a short presentation at the Committee’s monthly meeting.

            The Committee agreed to receive a short presentation from representatives of the Royal Maternity Hospital Liaison Group and, accordingly, Ms. M. McClean and Ms. J. Poots, representing the Group, were admitted to the meeting and welcomed by the Chairman.

            Ms. McClean outlined the background to the decision to establish a new purpose-built regional hospital for children and women on the Royal site.  She stated that there was a need for the Group to bring the issue into the public domain in order to gain support for the proposal and ensure that the Minister fulfilled his obligation to build the new hospital.

            Ms. Poots outlined the history of maternity hospital provision, the current needs and the facilities which would be provided in the new Hospital.  She indicated that the short-term aim of the Group was to secure, by late Autumn 2008, a commitment from both the Minister for Health and the Northern Ireland Executive to prioritise in the Infrastructure Budget 2008-2011 funding of up to £30 million which would be required to clear the site at the Royal Hospital complex.  In addition, the Group was seeking political, financial and practical support for the campaign.  In the longer term it was seeking to secure from the Minister and the Executive a commitment to source the funding and commence the building works at the start of the next Comprehensive Spending Review, which was scheduled for 2011.

            The deputation then answered a number of questions, thanked the Members for receiving them and retired from the meeting.

            During discussion in the matter, the Chairman (Councillor D. Dodds) pointed out that the Committee would be considering later in the meeting a request from Mr. William McKee, Chief Executive Officer, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, seeking permission to address the Committee on health issues and she suggested that the question of the business case for the new Regional Hospital could be raised at that time.

            The Committee agreed to the Chairman’s suggestion and agreed also that ways in which the Council could support the campaign either financially or otherwise be investigated and that a report thereon be submitted for the Committee’s consideration in due course.