Minister for Health James Reilly has announced the creation of a new group to drive forward the development of the new national children's hospital.
The board, which will have its own board, budget and management team, will assume many of the functions of the National Paediatric Development Board, which is being restructured to focus only on the building of the project. Dr James Browne, the president of NUI Galway, has been appointed chairman of the new group.
The new group will include representatives of the existing children's hospitals at Temple Street, Crumlin and Tallaght, which have welcomed the development.
Dr Reilly said his primary concern was to put in place project management and governance arrangements that would enable the new hospital to be built as quickly as possible.
A strategic advisory board is also being established to provide external advice to the project.
The minister also promised a new patient safety agency would be set up "within the year".
