Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

We learned today that the potential cost of the national children's hospital has soared by €100 million in just a matter of months. It now stands at nearly €2.5 billion, although no one believes this will be the final cost. It is outrageous that after all this time, nobody in this House knows for sure how much this project will ultimately cost or when it will start treating patients. There is a completion date for June. We have missed many completion dates already. How confident is the Government that this hospital will be open and this date will be met? Crucially, we need to know when it will start treating patients.

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