Results 18,021-18,040 of 24,567 for speaker:Róisín Shortall
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: I thank our guests for their presentations. I am disappointed that having waited eight months for replies to two questions, we have been unable to get them. I want to go through some of the aspects of the information we have been given today. Is the intention that the entire hospital will open at the same time? Is that the basis on which the development board is operating at the moment?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: In his opening statement, Mr. Gunning talked about different elements of the hospital being fitted out at the moment. Is fit-out taking place at present?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: That is an unusual way to complete a building. The shell of the building is usually completed and then the entirety is fitted out. This fit-out is being done in phases. Is that correct?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: I will turn to the commissioning of the building. I gather from what Mr. Gunning said that the commissioning will take in approximately six months. Is that correct?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: I will move on to the question of cost. It is disappointing that Mr. Gunning has been unable to update us on the estimated cost. We are still working off a completely unrealistic figure of €1.433 billion. When he said that all dispute mechanisms has been paused, what exactly does that mean for the 600 claims in existence?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: What is happening with those 600 claims?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: All the claims are being parked. Has agreement been reached to park the claims?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: Mr. Gunning needs to explain a bit more about that. He seems to be implying that what is now 900 claims are being parked and concentration is on completing the building.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: What is that timeline?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: On the one hand, Mr. Gunning is saying that all dispute mechanisms have been paused and, on the other, he is going through the dispute mechanisms and explaining the different stages. What is happening to those 900 claims? When are they likely to be addressed?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: There is different terminology being used there that is not clear. Will Mr. Gunning explain what the moratorium is and how long it will last?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: What has happened to claims over the past two months?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: Are they resolved or parked?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: There are currently 900 claims.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: Mr. Gunning said earlier that only a handful of those have been resolved.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: I get the impression a lot of trouble and cost are being stored up for the future. Issues are not being dealt with now.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: Okay.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: There is a likelihood that this project will continue to be a runaway train and nothing I have heard today gives me assurance that will not be the case. Cost has not been brought under control and there is nothing to suggest it will be controlled before the end of the project. I want to know, from the taxpayers' point of view, what is the oversight of this. I am directing this question to...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: My final question is-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)
Róisín Shortall: Does the Department of Health have a working estimate of the total cost of this project? I am not asking Ms Prendergast to disclose it.