Department of Health rejected business case for maternity hospital plan last December

Department was concerned lessons had not been learnt after National Children’s Hospital budgeting fiasco

The HSE has been working on the plans to relocate the National Maternity Hospital to the St Vincent’s Hospital site since 2013

The Department of Health turned down the HSE’s business case for the new National Maternity Hospital due to fears of a repeat of the National Children’s Hospital budget overrun, it has emerged.

Officials in the Department of Health were concerned about the lack of evidence of value for money in the business case for moving the hospital from its existing site in Holles Street in Dublin’s city centre to the St Vincent’s Hospital campus. It ...