Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I again thank the Minister for his response but surely there is some intervention he can make with the Department of Health given that €1.1 billion has been drawn down and there are endless problems with the whole project. To be constructive, I suggest that we have a debate on the real cost and service implications of this train wreck of a project. Will the Minister commit to that? It is very important that we have that debate when such a level of expenditure is being reached and it is obvious that the project is hitting many problems.

To put in context what €1 billion of an overspend on this project could pay for in the area of health alone, I was informed in reply to a parliamentary question I tabled that the total cost of implementing the entire national cancer strategy between now and 2026 will be in the region of €840 million. The total net budget for palliative care for adults and children was just over €100 million. That still leaves €60 million that would provide homes to those who desperately need them. Serious amounts of money could have been saved.

We need to refocus our attention on this project which has been allowed to run wild. We need accountability and a meaningful debate. That is the only way forward. Will the Minister accept that the Rural Independent Group was right to demand a change in the course of action in 2017 and 2019? If the group had been listened to back then, we would not be in the mess we are in today but, rather, would most likely have a functioning children's hospital that would serve everyone. To come back to my core question, will the Minister agree to a debate on this issue?

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