Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am glad that it was not an Oireachtas committee that carried out the evaluation and the detailed planning of the hospital. It would take considerably longer than it has taken. That is not a reflection on either the Oireachtas committee or the hospital board.

The briefing document which was provided to the committee today is more or less along the lines of what I requested at last week's meeting. I thank the group for that. The increase in costs is fully explained. In outlining the increase in costs, it is stated that in February 2017 there was a final project brief for business costs of €983 million. In November 2018, there was a guaranteed maximum price of €1.433 billion. Can someone tell me from where is the figure of €1.7 billion coming? I think that I know but it would be useful to know this so that we do not find ourselves in a similar situation a few months down the road.