I would like to thank the Deputy for his question. There are a number of significant proposals for capital investment at Beaumont Hospital, and all are progressing through the requisite design and planning stages. All of these proposals are being managed through the HSE capital development process in line with the Infrastructure Guidelines from the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
In May 2025, the new Emergency Department received final grant of planning permission. The project was approved to move to the detailed design stage through 2025 and 2026. That detailed design will inform a tender and market engagement strategy for construction works that will ultimately determine construction timelines. A more detailed programme will be prepared as part of this detailed design stage and a schedule within the planned overall campus development will be determined. The project remains funded on the HSE Capital plan through the design stage. The in-patient bed ward block project is progressing through the design stage at present. I am also advised that the pre-tender business case for the Radiation Oncology Unit at Beaumont was approved by the HSE just before Christmas. The first stage of the procurement process- Suitability Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs) has been completed. SAQs are used to assess whether a contractor is qualified, competent, and reliable enough to be invited to tender for the works. Invitations to tender for this project are expected to issue in the coming weeks. In parallel, three out of four enabling works packages to support the delivery of the radiation oncology unit are complete, with the last one underway and with works expected to be completed by June 2026. Beaumont faces many similar challenges to our other, acute model 4 campuses, with the need to provide modern, fit for purpose infrastructure, whilst addressing legacy buildings and outdated layouts on congested sites, which limit our ability to safely and easily add beds, expand EDs, or integrate modern diagnostics and digital systems. It is imperative that we carefully plan and build our new hospital infrastructure at an appropriate height and density, to ensure the optimal use of space in our congested hospital campuses, whilst also achieving the necessary clinical adjacencies. We therefore must undertake a significant amount of decanting and enabling works before the main projects can begin. This is happening at Beaumont at present.
