Kate O'Connell (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To some extent I have to congratulate the witnesses on getting to this phase with the hospital. Like many members of the committee I feel that Irish children have been neglected for a long time at Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin. I have reason to be there a bit myself, and I often send the Minister for Health photographs of the walls to remind him what it is like. I look forward to this project reaching completion in 2022.

I am not a big fan of fellows learning on the job when they are getting paid to do a job. It is quite shocking that Mr. Costello would say that a process has worked well when we are at the price we are at currently. It is rule 101 that the difference between the tendering price and the contract price must be watched. Who was watching this? Was a team of quantity surveyors employed in the initial tendering phase? Regarding the differential between the tender price and the contract price, I am assuming that a team of quantity surveyors was involved, and I am assuming that all of the work it did was therefore pointless if there was such a difference between point 1 and point 2. Perhaps Mr. Costello can elaborate on that.

Deputy Louise O'Reilly was talking about this as I was coming in. I missed the start of what she was saying. Can the witnesses clarify that other than the three bits the witnesses identified as being operated by other people, the land will all be kept under HSE ownership? Can they also clarify that no external private company will be contracted to provide services in the hospital? For example, can we be assured that the cath lab, the minor injuries unit, if there is one, or whatever facilities there are will not be run by a private entity? Can we be assured that we are not going to carve bits out and allow them to be operated by a private medical company despite being owned by the HSE? It is something we will probably discuss in this term at the Joint Committee on Health. I have seen an emerging trend of private companies operating in sites with HSE logos over the door. It is something that concerns me. Perhaps the witnesses could clarify that for me.

Mr. Pollock referred to the change in clinical standards. I assume he is saying that if some piece of equipment or infrastructure that will be of benefit to the hospital comes on board between now and 2022, the hospital will want to move with the times. Technically, there could be another bill if a new type of magical cable comes out and the board will just have to pay it. I am assuming as much. We cannot predict that right now.