Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, unfortunately cannot attend this morning as he is at the United Nations. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and I will take some of his questions.

Timely completion of the new national children’s hospital, NCH, is a Government priority. Everything is being done to ensure it is completed as soon as possible. It is 90% complete against contract value. Substantial completion is informed by the main contractor's, BAM, programme outlining how and when it will complete the last 10%. The last programme update received from BAM suggested substantial completion could be achieved by May 2024. Frustratingly, construction progress has been significantly behind BAM’s programme. After months of engagement with BAM, an updated programme was submitted on 18 July. This is currently under review by the employer’s representative to determine compliance with the contract. The employer’s representative is the independent body responsible for enforcing the contract. The programme outlines how BAM proposes to complete the more than 40,000 separate activities required to finish the project. Given this welcome level of detail, it will take time to verify and validate.

The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, NPHDB, has been clear that it will not be commenting on any details until the employer’s representative has determined it to be a compliant programme. This includes any potential updates to the substantial completion date. Once construction is complete, the hospital will be handed over to Children’s Health Ireland, CHI, for commissioning. This will ensure the hospital is ready for patients and staff and is expected to take at least six months.

In advance of the handover, the pre-commissioning phase is already well advanced to ensure the smooth, safe and efficient transition of services to the new children’s hospital. This includes a significant body of work to integrate the three hospitals from a clinical and operational perspective, and the build of a digital hospital system and a new electronic healthcare record system. There remains a shared ambition among all parties to see the NCH opened as soon as possible for the benefit of children and families. To achieve this, the Minister for Health urges and expects BAM to resource and deliver against its own programme.

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