Mr. Derek Tierney:

As I said in my opening remarks, we live in uncertain times across all walks of life. The health sector and this programme are not immune. Everybody is craving certainty, which we do not have at this time. We have been through a period of very volatile trade markets where we have seen material increases in costs in respect of timber and steel but at this point in the project, that risk is largely mitigated against, given progress. We are seeing an impact on supply chains and trade chains through increased energy costs and increased disruption. We are just under 80% through the construction programme and those risks are mitigating but there is still volatility in our construction sector and global markets on which we rely. Notwithstanding that BAM is a tier 1 construction company and has reach into global supply chains, we must remain concerned as a project sponsor and a project funder but we are working very closely through the HSE, the board and CHI to get certainty on programme assurance. At the moment, we are holding the contractor to account through the board in terms of achieving substantial completion in March 2024. I can assure the Deputy that the Department and the board are taking every step possible to mitigate against risks to that construction programme.