Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)

I welcome Cara Darmody and her father, Mark, to the Visitors Gallery. Cara, as we all know, has just finished her 50-hour protest outside the Dáil. You are an incredible young woman and we are all so proud of you. We know we have a fight on our hands to stop Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael from watering down or removing children's right to access an assessment of need in a timely manner. I believe I can speak for all of the combined Opposition when I say that we will be with you every step of the way in this fight. We will keep going until every child has an assessment of need and the services and supports he or she needs to flourish and thrive. No child will be left behind. Cara, you are an absolute inspiration to all of us and we are so proud of you.

Tá scannal an ospidéil náisiúnta ag dul ar aghaidh agus ar aghaidh. Tá costas an togra anois tar éis pléasctha ó €650 milliún go €2.2 billiún agus níl sé déanta fós. Inniu, tuigimid go bhfuil moill eile ar an togra seo leis an 15ú dáta críochnaithe nua le cúig bliana anuas.

The scandal of the national children's hospital has now become an epic saga. A project that was supposed to cost the State €650 million has now ballooned into a project costing €2.2 billion and we do not even know if it will finish at that. The Tánaiste's Minister for Health visited the project last February and said that it was 99% complete. She said we were within touching distance. However, today we have learned that we are far from within touching distance and that it is going to be pushed back again. Not for the first or second time but for the 15th time in the last five years, the Government has missed its target. We are told today that this hospital will open in June 2026 at the very earliest. The CEO of the hospital board does not even have confidence in that date. The Tánaiste has broken his election promise when he said it would be delivered in June. Does he really expect the public to have any greater faith in this date than in any one of the other 15 dates that he and his Government Ministers have announced?

The Tánaiste personally signed the contract for the national children's hospital without even having a finalised plan in place. It was a case of build as you go. That is why BAM has had the State over a barrel for the last eight years. The Government is now blaming the construction company. It is no surprise to anybody on this side that developers are going to squeeze out as much profit as they can, but competent Ministers are supposed to protect the public purse. When the Tánaiste signed that contract, he declared open season on the public finances, showing complete incompetence. Anybody who has signed a contract, whether to build a house or just to replace a kitchen, will know that you need a plan in place. Even when this was getting out of control and costs were ballooning, the Tánaiste had the chance to change course. BAM offered to withdraw from this contract. The Tánaiste had the chance to change but he did not take it. He had the chance to put a proper plan in place but he did not take it. He signed on the dotted line, despite having no obligation to do so, leaving us with a contract that is totally skewed in favour of the construction company.

We have heard before from the Tánaiste, and I am sure he might say it again, that lessons will be learned. Lessons cannot be learned unless people take responsibility. As the Minister who signed off on that contract, does the Tánaiste take responsibility? Does he admit that it was the wrong contract to sign? It is why BAM has had us over a barrel for eight years. Does he accept that he got it wrong? Will he tell us now when children will be treated in that hospital and how we can have any confidence in that date? Why have we missed this deadline 15 times? Will the Tánaiste also inform the Dáil how much this hospital will cost the public purse at the end of the day?

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