Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Like everybody else, I am very concerned about this unmitigated mess, with the cost of the hospital practically doubled. I am worried about a number of aspects. Who decided only five contractors were to be shortlisted? Who decided the procurement ground rules at the start of the tender process? That is an important question. When one contractor was awarded the phase A part of the work, was it the only contractor allowed to tender for the second stage? If that is the story, as I understand it, the contractor would be able to increase costs day after day because it is the only one there. It is not fair to the taxpayer if a contractor is selected for phase A but it is allowed to proceed with phase B for whatever price it comes up with.

Is anybody in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform really accountable for what is happening here? PricewaterhouseCoopers is to produce an expensive report costing €500,000, and that amount would do much for the provision services in our community hospital in Killarney.

I hope it would build two of them. It looks like a contractor, probably BAM, was awarded phase A and nobody else was allowed to compete for phase B. Is that right?