Results 20,681-20,700 of 45,836 for speaker:Simon Harris

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: I am.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: No, it is not. I do not question the bona fides of the people concerned and have no intention of getting into a conversation in which their bona fides would be questioned. Some were of the view that it should be built on the site of Connolly Hospital, while others, including a former Taoiseach, were of the view it should be built on the Mater hospital site. Some were of view that it should...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: To answer the first question, I will take the appropriate action on who are the appropriate people to oversee the project when I get the PwC report. I did not come here today to create headlines on how I will react when I get the report. I will get it, read it, publish it and take very swift action on what changes, if any, I believe are needed at that time. With regard to the complete...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: In fairness, if we commission external reports to follow the evidence, that is what we will do. We will come back and share all of the information with the committee. In my earlier answers to Deputy Donnelly, I outlined there are opportunities to try to mitigate costs. I have spoken about the existing assets in place, Crumlin hospital being one. I have also spoken about the role of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Brassil. here are a couple of questions there. In respect of the GMP, it is important to note this was a strategy going back as far as 2014. The Government contracts committee for construction also considered it. While there is no doubt that the Mazars report found considerable shortcomings in terms of the lack of early warning and so on, the report still arrived at the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: I hope the focus is not going to be entirely on the costs, although I understand that is going to be an issue. I hope the clinical benefits, which Deputy Brassil understands more than most and of which he is very supportive, will also be an issue this committee will monitor closely. In closing on that question, I need to say that I do not want the committee to get the impression that the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: The second review is on the governance. In the interests of both time and the taxpayer, I decided to be led by the outcome of the PwC review, which will highlight where the problems were and the shortcomings. I will then decide on the new governance structures as appropriate. That is the sequence in which I have decided to take it. On the expectation of future costs-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: What Deputy Donnelly has not heard from me today, and which he suggests he has heard from others, is that everything should have been done exactly the same as it was. I am not in a position to say that to this committee. I am not saying that to this committee. I am saying that I am going to follow the evidence in respect of what could have been done better. I do not think Deputy Donnelly...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: The individual referenced by the Deputy was on the board in an individual capacity based on his competencies, as was the case for all members. While the Deputy may not have intended to imply otherwise, the person was not representing the Office of Government Procurement or the Department of Finance.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: That is fair to say. However, procurement experts were hired by the board and the Government contracts committee was used. That individual was not the person on the board to make the decision on the procurement processing but, rather, was there in an individual capacity for a competency-based board. The Deputy returned to talking about building houses. It is fair to state she has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: The Deputy will understand that I cannot speak for-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: I am very glad that the Deputy has made this point because some members of the committee, both here and in comments in the media, have suggested as the solution to the problem things that would halt the project. The project is not being halted. We are contractually committed to delivering the project and I am really proud that this hospital will be built. I guarantee that in years to come...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: Ministers do not award contracts. If they did, the Deputy would be asking-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: We will get to that in a moment. The Deputy would be asking me much more serious questions if we did. European Union procurement law dictates that companies can apply and people cannot be excluded from that procurement process. The Deputy is correct and it is a cause of great concern for us that we see on a number of projects extra claims coming in all the time. It would be the easiest...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: No, I am not. I am just saying I cannot buy into the Deputy's narrative of how we arrived there. I have said it would politically be very convenient for me to do this, saying we had a project with a budget but this awful company came in and lobbed extra claims at us. That would wrap it up nicely in a bow.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: I am saying that when we examine the reasons behind the overrun, they are far more complex and numerous than a company putting in additional claims after bidding for a project. Let us see what the PricewaterhouseCoopers report suggests. I genuinely believe that to be the case. I will make decisions on the future governance of the project.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children's Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: As I said to Senator Mullen, the primary reasoning behind the location of the site must be the clinical outcomes for our children. The idea of co-locating a hospital with an acute adult teaching hospital like St. James's Hospital, as well as with a tri-located maternity hospital in due course, was a primary objective. I also do not believe, for the purposes of these conversations about...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Children's Hospital Expenditure (24 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: My Department is working with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Health Service Executive on capital planning for 2019 and subsequent years having regard to the increased capital costs of the new children's hospital, following Government’s approval to proceed with Phase B of the new children's hospital and outpatient and urgent care centres.

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Children's Hospital (24 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: I am already on record as stating that the increased cost is a matter of great concern and I have made it clear that Phase B of the construction project must be delivered within budget and timescale.  The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board will be required to provide on-going assurance to the HSE, Department of Health and Government that Phase B of the project is being...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Applications (24 Jan 2019)

Simon Harris: As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.