Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank all three Ministers of State for standing in beyond their briefs and wish the Minister the best.

There is no doubt that the children's hospital will not be built on time and that it will cost much more than expected. I was across this issue quite a bit in the previous Dáil, as many will be aware. What we need now is a projection of timelines and costs. Covid-19 will bring additional costs to everything, including all construction projects. We need to know the Government's position on this project.

It found €600 million to be announced on Thursday. From a capital point of view, many other projects are required throughout the country, including extensions because we need more space across a whole load of disciplines. Are we going to profile out further the children's hospital because we need the money? Let us answer that question. Many of the legal challenges taking place in court are for fairly small sums. Let us be honest and straight up with the people. There is no massive criticism of this Government on the issue; it is a legacy of the previous one. What are the timelines and the projected costs as of now?

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