THE House adopted a Bill to allow three voluntary Dublin, hospitals to combine to form the new voluntary hospital at Tallaght.

It was introduced by the Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, who said the three hospitals - the Meath, Adelaide and National Children's - had agreed that the legal basis for the governance of the new hospital would be in the form of an amended charter of the Adelaide Hospital.

The new framework had been agreed following "an enormous amount of hard work, goodwill and co operation from all sides", he said.

The hospitals would share a joint future at Tallaght where they would, no doubt, create a further centre of excellence.

The Bill was given all party support. Ms Mary Harney, leader of the Progressive Democrats, said the agreement reached meant that Tallaght and Clondalkin would soon have a state of the art hospital facility on their doorsteps. "It has been a long wait for them, but they can look forward to the highest standards of in patient and out patient care," she said. The Bill would pave the way for the opening, on schedule, of the hospital in the middle of next year.

. The legislation was also welcomed by Mrs Rosemary French, the chairperson of the board designate of the Adelaide and Meath Hospital Dublin, incorporating the National Children's Hospital at Tallaght.

"The Dail set the seal on much more than a new hospital. This hospital is arguably the most significant symbol we have of a nation which is modern, tolerant and respectful of minorities," she said.

"There's a growing sense of excitement about the hospital. Now that the legislation is passed it seems real and urgent to everybody," she added.