Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As we approach the recess, and in advance of September, I welcome the fact we have got this progress report, but it omits the core issues on which this committee wants to get a handle, namely, how much this hospital is going to cost us in the end and whether we can be assured of the timeframe the board has informed us of.

The fact the Department and the board are refusing to divulge that information as of now is deeply worrying and concerning. Their refusal to provide us with the documentation we have requested is equally not acceptable. I ask that we put this item on the clár when we return after the recess to assess whether there are other options available to the committee to get forthright answers, particularly from the Department of Health, which has overall responsibility. I do not know how we can have a long-term plan for our health services in the financial sense without knowing how much the biggest infrastructure project within that sector is going to cost us in the long run. This is something the committee is going to have to remain vigilant on.