The Minister for Health has said he still fully expects the State to take ownership of the national children’s hospital next year despite repeated delays and doubts being cast on the project’s completion date.
Speaking in the Dáil on Thursday, Stephen Donnelly said commissioning of the facility could be accelerated and staff could move in “maybe before the final completion date”.
He again firmly put the blame for delays and increased costs on main contactor BAM and called on TDs to unite on the issue.
Mr Donnelly highlighted a €24 million claim the developer made for a project it said would delay completion by months which was dealt with at the Public Accounts Committee (Pac) earlier this year.
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He said Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty first raised the issue, based on information from the developer, but work ended up costing €200,000 and completed much sooner.
The Minister told fellow TDs “there is value to us speaking in one voice” and “shining the light where it belongs”.
He was speaking during health questions after Sinn Féin spokesman David Cullinane challenged him on the role of the Government in the repeated delays to the hospital.
Mr Cullinane said “there is a dodging of responsibility from the Government side” and that Mr Donnelly should accept the hospital board overseeing the project could go no further because of the “flaws in the contract”. He called on the Minister to state when the handover of the hospital would happen and “when it will open and treat patients”.
The Waterford TD added: “And do you accept despite all of the tough talk and Government Ministers sticking their chests out and saying we’re going to take on the contractor, the reality is that we’re no closer to this hospital being built than we were this time last year?”
The hospital has been dogged by controversy, successive delays and spiralling cost overruns, currently estimated at €1.5 billion and bringing the final bill to an estimated €2.2 billion. Doubt has also been cast on it being completed by next year with concern that the HSE will not be ready to transition staff in when construction is finally completed.
Mr Donnelly reiterated his opinion, and that of the board overseeing the project, that BAM had missed the completion deadline 14 times. He insisted the board, acting on behalf of the Government, was using all the levers at its disposal.
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