Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for the presentations. Much has been said in discussing the procurement and accounting for the large overrun and the cost of €1.5 billion. There are too many noughts in the figure to consider. This will affect the public health services we provide. I have tried to work out the figure. The hospital will cost every man, woman and child a little under €400.

Will the board provide a breakdown of the costs so far for the excavation of the site and site preparation? Do these costs include the costs of the facilities that were demolished, the decanting of various hospitals or clinics, the kitchens that were newly constructed and any other new buildings?

I wish to raise a parochial issue relating to the reduction in, and perhaps halting of, construction of other capital investment projects. Will construction of the primary care centre in Drimnagh, which is close to where I live, stop? The project is in mid-construction. I imagine there are many other projects, including in Limerick and throughout the country. I was worried about that and I know Deputy Ó Snodaigh wants to find out about it.

Mr. Desmond spoke about reviewing the capital spend. When will the outcome of the review become available? Will it be late in the year? People in every area are keen to find out what will happen to their health services.

I am here as a resident of the South Circular Road in Dublin 8. I see the impact of this daily on local communities. In 2015, people from the local community asked questions at the oral hearing of An Bord Pleanála, which lasted for three weeks. Many of these questions were swept under the carpet. I did not consider the questions minor. They related to irritants for communities, including problems with dust, noise, roads and lighting, all of which is impacting on us. BAM frequently does not adhere to requirements. Trying to get through to the company is a problem, but that is another issue for the board and BAM, one we will return to outside of this meeting. Who will pay the costs of ancillary works and the clean-up, for example, window cleaning in neighbourhoods adjacent to the St. James's site?

With regard to Ceannt Fort and Mount Brown, we are all aware of the case that is ongoing regarding subsidence and major cracking and movement of houses on the right hand side of O'Reilly Avenue heading towards the site. The core houses at the end of the road have been particularly affected and have required remedial work. Residents have to be decanted elsewhere to have kitchens and conservatories to the rear of their homes rebuilt. We told An Bord Pleanála at the oral hearing and we also told the hospital board and Dublin City Council that the land was unsuitable for building on. In 1917, when building started in the area, it was known as McCaffrey's orchard. It became one of the first estates to replace tenements in Dublin. It was also one of the first estates in which the British provided front gardens for the health of people in Dublin.

The estate was completed and O'Reilly Avenue was added much later because even 100 years ago with less technology and information it was known that the soil was unstable, yet the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board and An Bord Pleanála maintained in December 2015 that the black soil was perfect. That is where the early warning systems came in, but the information was ignored. What is the projected cost of rebuilding part of these houses, the cost of ongoing monitoring and legal services? Cracks are also appearing in houses on the opposite side of O'Reilly Avenue. As residents, we alerted the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board to the unstable land way back then. I would like to get an idea of the costs involved.

Houses at the South Circular Road end of the site are also impacted on and surveys of some of them have been completed, but no surveys have been carried out on the opposite side of O'Reilly Avenue. At the demand of the residents, they were initially carried out on the right hand side.

The children’s research and innovation centre, CRIC, building is not on HSE land. Has it been bought or is it leased? What is the cost and is it included in the overall overspend?

Our Lady's Children's Hospital has transferred to Children's Health Ireland. A figure of €2 million per acre has been suggested. I do not know how true that is as I am not a valuer. Discussions on the future of the site are ongoing. Part of the deed dating from the 1950s required that it be kept for institutional or community use. However, other parts could be sold. It is zoned 15. When will the discussions finish and when will we know the plan for that public land that has been handed over?

How well is the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board working with Dublin City Council because the cost of parking for residents in the surrounding areas has jumped? There is now 24-hour paid parking in the area and the cost is being borne by residents through no fault of their own. It reflects the decreased number of parking spaces in St. James's Hospital and also the cost differences. The problem of parking has been pushed to local streets.

The projected cost of the maternity hospital is €300 million. I am sure many with an interest in construction and making a buck are looking at this with glee. If the same happens in the next phase of St. James's Hospital, they must love this overrun in costs. By how much will the €300 million jump in the meantime?

Are there other hidden costs in the St. James's Hospital or the development of the national children's hospital of which we have not yet been advised?