Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

At the back end of last year, we started to see inflation rise substantially. This year has been very different. A hospital that would have been completed in October of this year would be at significantly lower risk from inflation than one that will be substantially complete by January 2024.

A contract is a two-way thing. I have been constantly asking about counterclaims in relation to the non-completion in the timelines. Just as the State is required to keep its obligations, so too is the contractor. One of the Department's replies stated that staffing is not raised in terms of an employer claim but there is an assumption that the employer can carry out the contract within the timeframe it signed up to. Have any counterclaims been made around the completion date being substantially missed?