Revelation builders seeking additional €853m for National Children’s hospital shows urgency of PAC appearance – Mairéad Farrell TD

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform, Mairéad Farrell TD, has said that the news that builders are seeking an additional €853m for the completion of the new National Children’s Hospital underscores the urgency of their appearance before the Public Accounts Committee. 

In her role as Chairman of the PAC in the last Dáil, Deputy Farrell strongly criticised the Board of the new National Children’s Hospital for failing to appear before the Committee when requested.

Teachta Farrell said::

‘As Chair of the PAC I wrote to the hospital board criticising their failure to appear despite long standing and mounting concerns about:

• The ballooning final cost of the project; 
• The date for its opening which has changed 16 times since planning permission was first granted in 2016;
• The fact that we still do not have an exact date of whether it will even open this year as stated by government.

“The excuses the board gave were lacking in credibility and in the letter I wrote to them prior to the close of the last Dáil, I reiterated the obligations that public bodies are under when requested to appear before PAC.

“We are now learning that the cost is rising again, this time by a whopping €853m. The Tánaiste said that the ‘state is going to continue to robustly push back’. Does this mean more litigation and more associated legal costs?

“The government is estimating that the final cost for the hospital will be €2.24bn, but this doesn’t appear to account for the additional €853m now being sought.

“I speculated a couple of years back then when all costs were factored in from the various legal proceedings, appeals and further challenges the final figure would be around €3bn.

“That forecast is looking increasingly more accurate.

“It is high time that the Board of the hospital came out from behind the curtain and answered questions at the PAC. The PAC has powers of compellability and if the Board won’t appear voluntarily, then it is time to use these powers.”