Mr. Fred Barry:

I thank the joint committee for inviting us to update it on the progress made in the work being carried out at the new children’s hospital. I am joined by Dr. Emma Curtis, medical director, at the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board.

The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, NPHDB, was appointed in August 2013 to design, build and equip a new national children’s hospital. A planning application was lodged in August 2015 and An Bord Pleánala granted planning permission in April 2016 for the new national children’s hospital, the paediatric outpatients and urgent care centres at Connolly and Tallaght hospitals and related developments, including the Children’s Research and Innovation Centre, CRIC, and a family accommodation unit adjacent to the new national children’s hospital.

I will start with developments related to the development board. My last appearance in front of the committee was preliminary to my appointment as the new chairman of the board. The Minister for Health subsequently confirmed my appointment. Two board members have since resigned, having given great service for six years. The appointment of new members is within the remit of the Minister for Health and we are working together to fill the positions. There have also been resignations by executive personnel, including the project director. An open competition is under way to find a new chief officer. An interim chief officer and an interim project director have been appointed in the meantime.

On progress, the paediatric outpatients and urgent care centre at Connolly Hospital is the most advanced element of the project. Construction work is substantially complete and the building was handed over to Children’s Health Ireland in May. Services will commence in the new building once the usual commissioning activities are completed. That will be a very significant milestone in the delivery of suitable treatment centres for children.

Good progress is also being made at the new paediatric outpatients and urgent care centre at Tallaght Hospital. The decant works are complete and the new crèche, changing facilities and offices are open. Construction of the foundations for the paediatric outpatients and urgent care centre building started earlier this year and the new building has reached first floor level. The new national children’s hospital on the St. James’s Hospital site is by far the biggest element of the project.

The committee will be very aware that the construction costs of these works, as finally agreed with the main contractor BAM, are considerably higher than the previously estimated costs. Notwithstanding the difficulties in reaching agreement with BAM, the view of the development board was that it would be better to proceed with BAM rather than stop the project and retender for the main construction work. We could have retendered the contract, but it would have added years of delay. Between tendering costs, inflation, increased owner costs and mobilisation costs, the likelihood was that retendering would ultimately result in higher rather than lower project costs. Accordingly, the board recommended to the relevant stakeholders that construction proceed on the basis agreed with the main contractor, BAM. At the end of last year the Government authorised the board to proceed with the main construction works.

Another significant development is that it has been decided to procure employer-supplied health technology equipment through traditional procurement means, rather than a managed equipment service. This decision is timely in that it allows for competitive tendering, procurement and delivery of the equipment in line with the overall programme.

The construction focus for the last year or so has been on heavy civil works in excavating the site, pile driving and so on. The building frame is under construction. The frame can be seen above ground level in places and as it rises, it will give a real sense of the scale of the works. The mechanical and electrical installation work has started in the basement. The next construction milestone will be completion of the new access road loop around the site perimeter, thus allowing the excavation of the strip of road running east-west through the building site. It will be visible later this year. Drone footage from the site taken at the end of May can be viewed online at .