It has been confirmed that the timetable for the new National Children's Hospital has been further pushed back. It follows a call from Fianna Fail yesterday for clarity on the timeframe.

It is due to a delay in appointing a design team. The team was due to be appointed this month but this will now not take place until June.

It means an application for planning permission which was hoped would be submitted this autumn is not now expected to go in until next February.

There are fears now that services will not begin to be transferred to the new facility on the St. James's Hospital campus in Dublin until late 2018.

A spokesperson for the development board says that the project is behind schedule because the finances of all bids are being carefully examined.