Mater looks at moving services into Temple St
IRELAND IS URGED TO HOLD ITS OWN BOMB INQUIRY
THE Mater Hospital in Dublin is planning a major expansion by moving into a vacated kid’s hospital once the National Children’s Hospital is finally finished.
It is looking at moving some clinical services to the nearby Temple Street hospital and using other space there for staff accommodation, creche facilities and parking.
The hospital has faced major difficulties in hiring and keeping key staff and is also actively considering the purchase of property to develop short-term accommodation for them.
Clinical
According to a presentation for the Mater board last October, the move would add some 35,000 square metres of clinical space for their work.
Mater chief executive Alan Sharp said it was hoped the expansion would help to reduce the length of stay for some patients.
But a note of the minutes said: “One risk that may need to be considered...would be the range of different financial and legal arrangements in place.”
A statement from the Mater said: “Plans are at a very early stage, but it is likely that some clinical services may be moved to Temple St.”
IRELAND must hold a “similar process in parallel” to the Omagh bomb inquiry, Tanaiste Micheal Martin has been urged.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris announced on Thursday that there would be an independent inquiry into the dissident republican blast which hit the Co Tyrone town on August 15, 1998.
The bomb killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured hundreds of others.
In 2021, a Belfast High Court judge recommended that the UK Government carry out an investigation into alleged security failings in the lead up to the attack, and that a similar probe should be established by the Irish Government.
On Thursday, Justice Minister Simon Harris said they would await the details of the UK’s inquiry before announcing ‘STEP UP’: Micheal Martin and Jeffrey Donaldson in Belfast yesterday; (inset l-r) UUP’s Doug Beattie and Colum Eastwood of the SDLP what action they would take.
Yesterday, Tanaiste Mr Martin met the major Stormont parties in Belfast.
During his first meeting of the day, with DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, the Tanaiste was told his Government must “step up to the mark”.
Process
After the meeting, Jeffrey said: “If this inquiry is to establish the full picture however, that requires the Republic of Ireland to also hold a similar process in parallel.
“The bomb was placed by republican terrorists in Omagh but it was planned, prepared and transported to Omagh from the Republic of Ireland.
“I trust the Irish Government will step up to the mark on this legacy issue as well as others.”
The issue was also raised with Mr
Martin by the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP.
Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie said: “We did say to Micheal Martin that we believe the Irish Government needs to do more, not just on the Omagh bomb inquiry, we think they need to have their own inquiry in Ireland, but on legacy as a whole, remembering, of course, that hundreds, if not thousands, of our citizens here in Northern Ireland were killed or injured by attacks, which came from Ireland, and the perpetrators returned back to Ireland again.
“We did make the point strongly that they need to do more.”
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said he believes it is “very clear that the Irish Government are committed to not being left behind in terms of this investigation”.
“I think yesterday was a very good day for the Omagh families, it took far too long,” he said.