Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----well in advance of the formation of this Government and I note that the Deputy’s comment is very much focused on this Government. For future generations of children and the children of today it is one of the most important projects that is being managed by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, NPHDB, and that the Government is clearly overseeing. I am in no doubt as to the benefits to be derived for the children of Ireland from building a first class, world-class hospital which we need. That is the first point I make and it is the objective of the Government to complete this hospital.

That said, this is a commercial contract and, yes, the developer has submitted a whole range of claims. Deputy McDonald has mentioned 500. Many of those claims made earlier on were not substantiated, there is arbitration and a process has been put in place. The developer or contractor may very well submit a claim, and they are entitled to do so, but equally the NPHDB, the hospital development board, is entitled to defend those claims which it considers inappropriate and which is in line with the provisions of public works contracts.

The Deputy has asked me to give an estimate of the ultimate cost. That would be a mistake because if one is interested in costs, a person does not announce to the contractor the level to which one wants to go to. That is the wrong approach to take now. The approach we have taken, and I am very clear on this in government, is that we proceed to have the hospital completed and have a parallel process where if claims are made in respect of costs, they are defended by the hospital development board. In many ways I take the view that I will not go into any ballpark figures and have no intention of doing so because to do that would only disadvantage the taxpayer-----

See this speech in context