Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise several important matters related to the construction of, and the ongoing construction costs associated with, the national children's hospital. As the Taoiseach knows, the construction of the hospital is a key part of the programme for Government, which we all support, and is something we all recognise as vitally important. What we fundamentally disagree with is the suitability of the location. The Connolly for Kids campaign, which is composed of paediatric health care professionals, parents of critically ill children and many organisations, such as the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation, feels - we know this to be the case - it has been treated with contempt by successive Governments when it has tried to raise its concerns about this issue. This is despite the fact that the Connolly for Kids group has over 100 years of professional health care and paediatric experience, which is a lot of experience that neither the Taoiseach nor I has in health care.

I wish to raise with the Taoiseach the concerns about the runaway train of the hospital's construction costs. The original estimate was €480 million, but several newspaper reports and independent observers have now quoted the Government as admitting that it has exceeded €1 billion, which more than double the cost. What is staggering about this number is that it excludes the cost of any fit-out or IT equipment, and we all know the cost of fit-out and equipment for hospitals is millions and millions. The €500 million overrun costs for a single project represents almost half of the €1.2 billion fiscal space the Government told us it had before the budget last year for spending the following year. That €500 million could have covered the cost of the Garda pay claims 12 times over; it could have allowed young teachers equal pay; it could have sorted out all the issues of the child care workers outside the Dáil today, who littered us with details of their claims as we came in, and public servants; and it could have funded the many crisis points in our front-line health services, such as in Clonmel Hospital in south Tipperary.

While we all accept that the original budgets are liable to be exceeded, this is phenomenal and staggering and must be reined in, or does the Taoiseach want to be remembered in 25 or 30 years' time for a report into this waste and these absurd costs? This is the kind of runaway cost that not only threatens to deliver a disastrously located hospital that will put children's lives in danger - I do not say that lightly - but also substantially increases the likelihood of future costs to other areas of Government spending. We know the impact that will have and the problems related to budgets and how tight they are.

The Minister for Health has said he came with no baggage to the Department. His career is depending on this and I wish him well with his career. Will he be remembered for this failure and abject overrun? Will the Taoiseach deal with organisations such as the Connolly for Kids hospital campaign group and the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation, which looks after the sickest of children? They have been locked out of the hearings and even last week they were locked out and denied access. Will the Taoiseach please give me a direct answer on how he will curtail costs and ensure that the money is better spent? Will he try to rein in this runaway train?

See this speech in context