The children’s hospital group CHI has paid out more than €3 million over the last five years to lease buildings close to Temple Street hospital in Dublin.
This does not include the main hospital building at Temple Street which is secured by CHI for a nominal €10 annual rent.
The hospital group has five other properties in the vicinity of Temple Street which are leased from several companies and individuals.
However, it has declined to identify to whom it is making the annual lease payments.
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It is understood that CHI considers these payments are covered by confidentiality clauses in the lease agreements with the property owners.
CHI told Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan in a written reply to a parliamentary question last month that it believed it would be “inappropriate to set out to whom the above lease payments were made to, so unfortunately, we are unable to provide a response to this element of your parliamentary question in this instance”.
CHI said that between 2019 and 2022 it had paid out €277,000 each year in respect of one property used by Temple Street hospital and that this amount had increased to €304,425 last year.
In respect of a second property, CHI said it had paid out €180,000 each year between 2019 and 2023.
In relation to a third property CHI said the annual lease had cost between €69,200 and €79,200 each year.
CHI said it had paid out €75,000 annually between 2019 and 2022 but that the cost had reduced to €18,750 last year.
In respect of a fifth property leased by CHI at Temple St, the cost had been €19,440 each year between 2019 and 2022 before increasing to €20,100 last year.
The Irish Times understands that the main hospital building at Temple Street is occupied by CHI under a fixed-term agreement with a registered charity, the Mater Misericordiae and the Children’s University Hospital Company, Limited by Guarantee for a nominal annual fee of €10.
Informed sources said the €10 amount did not form part of the annual rental payments of about €600,000 paid in respect of the other buildings leased by CHI.
Informed sources said these comprised buildings located in the vicinity of the main hospital which were secured by CHI under formal lease agreements.
Sources said these respective leases were with different companies/individuals.
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