The rising cost of the national children’s hospital

Money no object?

Sir, – Michael McDermott, in addressing the most recent estimated cost of the new national children’s hospital, acknowledges that €2.2 billion “is undoubtedly a lot of money” (Letters, February 15th).

But he calls for a little context – we will have a superb facility for about one week’s exchequer receipts.

Brian O’Brien and Colin Murphy (Letters, February 16th) bring a little more rigour to the ongoing debate.

The numbers quoted by them suggest that we should have three or four such hospitals for our money.

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Alternatively, if we were happy with just the one, we should have about €1.5 billion left over to waste elsewhere. – Yours, etc,

PAT O’BRIEN,

Rathmines,

Dublin 6.