The Health Minister stated that despite continual setbacks and questions regarding the timeline, he anticipates the Government will assume control of the national children’s hospital next year. Addressing the Dáil on Thursday, Stephen Donnelly suggested the hospital’s inauguration could be expedited, and staff might be able to move in even before it is fully completed.
He was definitive in attributing the hold-ups and additional expenses to the primary contractor, BAM, and urged members of the Dáil to present a united front on this matter. Mr Donnelly drew attention to a €24 million compensation claimed by the builder for a task that they argued would set back the completion date by several months. This matter was previously discussed at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) earlier this year.
Pearse Doherty, the Sinn Féin finance spokesperson, was the first to bring this issue into the limelight based on details provided by the builder, but the work ended up costing €200,000 and was finished much earlier. Mr Donnelly encouraged fellow TDs to maintain a united voice and to shed light on the problem areas.
His statement came in response to Sinn Féin spokesperson, David Cullinane, who criticised his handling of the repeated postponements of the hospital’s completion. Mr Cullinane accused the Government of avoiding responsibility, arguing it wasn’t feasible for the board overseeing the project to proceed given the contract’s shortcomings. He urged the Minister to clarify when the hospital transition would occur and when it would begin treating patients.
The Waterford TD also asked if, amidst strong declarations from Government Ministers about tackling the contractor, there had been any real progress toward the hospital’s construction compared to the previous year.
The hospital project has been mired in controversy due to continuous delays and escalating costs, currently approximated at €1.5 billion, which raises the projected total cost to around €2.2 billion. Uncertainty still exists about the completion by the coming year and the readiness of the HSE to transfer in the staff once the construction concludes. In response, Mr Donnelly, reinforcing the sentiments of the project’s supervisory board, stressed that BAM had not adhered to the completion deadline up to 14 times. He asserted that the board, acting with Government support, was utilising all means at its disposal.