Sinn Féin spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform, Mairéad Farrell TD, has said that there are now significant doubts that the National Children’s Hospital will be open in 2023.

Teachta Farrell said: 

“The National Children’s Hospital, which is arguably the greatest failure of public procurement in the history of the state, is unlikely to open by its scheduled date of 2023. 

“Not only has this project run massively over budget, but it won’t even reach the agreed timeline for completion. 

“It only seems like yesterday when then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was telling us that short of an asteroid hitting the planet, this hospital would be completed by 2020.

“However, yesterday the Department of Health informed me that despite ongoing engagement with the Main Contractor (BAM), a valid works program is still not in place. 

“The department was not able to give me a new date for completion but said that BAM were currently conducting as assessment in order to provide a revised timeframe for completion. 

“Nor could they provide me with a new estimated final cost, although it is clear that it will be significantly north of the €1.7 billion figure that was quoted to the Oireachtas Health Committee in 2019, due to the legal costs that have been incurred since then. The final figure will be well beyond the €2 billion mark.

“The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is currently seeking submissions for the review of the National Development Plan (NDP). 

“Massive cost overruns in large capital projects such as this have significant knock on effects for the funding available for other projects outlined in the NDP. 

“This makes it essential that we get public procurement process right and avoid another Children’s hospital fiasco.”