Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The long-running debacle surrounding the construction and, more importantly, the completion of the national children's hospital rumbles on. This afternoon we learned that the staggering cost of the hospital has increased again by almost €500 million. This pushes the current cost up to €2.2 billion, a cost that is frankly unbelievable. What is even more outrageous is that we can have no confidence that this will in fact be the final cost. Last week in the Oireachtas health committee the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, stated he could not say with certainty that the completion date of October of this year would be met. He repeated this on radio today. Incredibly he also admitted that he had yet to hold a formal meeting with the board overseeing the project this year. When a Minister is taking such a hands-off approach, it is little wonder we have spiralling and out-of-control costs, constantly shifting timelines and a complete lack of confidence in delivery.

This debacle shows that the entire leadership of the Government is asleep at the wheel. As this fiasco goes from bad to worse, children are waiting longer than ever for care. Eight out of ten children are waiting longer than the Sláintecare target for an orthopaedic appointment. Parents of children with scoliosis and spina bifida are at their wits' end as their children wait in agony for life-changing and lifesaving treatment. The promise that Simon Harris made in 2017 that no child would wait any longer than four months for their procedure rings as hollow as the Taoiseach's own promise that short of an asteroid hitting the planet, this hospital would be built and complete by 2020. It is now 2024 and the hospital has gone from the €700 million when the Taoiseach made those comments to at least €2.2 billion and the only asteroid to hit us is the mind-boggling financial cost to the taxpayer and the endless disappointment of children and parents.

This strikes at the heart of the Government's credibility, a government that cannot keep people safe cannot put a roof over people's heads and cannot build a hospital without turning it into a farce. Every Member of the Dáil, every citizen and, more importantly, every child and their parents want the hospital built, open and treating children as quickly as possible but public confidence is now on the floor. The hospital is not complete, the doors are not open and children are not being treated. Despite the billions being spent we do not have a date we can have confidence in for when the hospital will be up and running. Tá an praiseach a bhaineann le hospidéal náisiúnta na bpáistí ag dul in olcas le costas a mhéadú le €500 milliún eile. Caithfidh an Rialtas a rá le páistí agus le tuismitheoirí cathain a bheidh an t-ospidéal críochnaithe agus oscailte.

I have very straightforward questions for the Taoiseach and I believe the children and parents waiting for years for this hospital to open deserve straight answers. When will the national children's hospital be completed, open and treating children? Can the Taoiseach tell us today with certainty what the full and final cost will be?

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