Minister was responding on Friday as costs set to top €2 billion
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has insisted that “nobody could accurately” put a figure on the final cost of the new children’s hospital and accused Sinn Fein of being used as “pawns” to justify overspend.
Last week, it emerged the planned handover date from the contractor BAM is to be pushed back from March next year to May, while the cost of the hospital is spiralling. The minister said the Government was supporting the board in its engagement with BAM for what he described as “a world-class children’s hospital”.
A total of 1,478 claims had been decided, at a value of €14 million, and worth less than 2% of the overall contract value. He said Sinn Fein’s finance spokesperson had claimed that young people were emigrating over the matter. “They want change. They want better for themselves, their family and the children of this State. They want the children’s hospital built.”Asked if he would be comfortable with BAM receiving other high-profile Government contracts, Donnelly said it will be important to allow the State to consider “previous performance” in the awarding of future large-scale infrastructure contracts.
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