Results 13,161-13,180 of 27,087 for speaker:David Cullinane

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: What is the additional Exchequer funding?

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: That is included in the €1.4 million.

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: I wish to raise a point of order.

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: The point of order is that approximately seven or eight members are in attendance------

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: May I make my point of order? I ask the Chair to allow me to finish. He has had a good run. He stated that context is important and I have no difficulty with that. However, votes will soon be taking place in the Dáil and committee members are required to be present in the Chamber. It is our job to tease out these issues. I propose that we move to the first speaker. If further...

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: I welcome Mr. Breslin and Mr. Pollock and their respective teams. I am sure Mr. Breslin will understand why members of this committee, the health committee and the public are frustrated by the overrun of costs and the impact this might have on other services. People need to be held to account and we need to get answers to questions. People become frustrated when they put questions and do...

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: Might some capital projects may not go ahead as quickly as possible because of the overrun?

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: The answer is "Yes". There will be an impact on some capital projects but which projects has not yet been decided. In my constituency, the second cath lab in University Hospital Waterford is important. The cost of that lab was approximately €4 million. Is that money guaranteed? Is it one of the projects that has been signed off on and with which there is no issue, or is it one of...

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: I have a strong objection to that because, as Mr. Breslin will be aware, Oireachtas Members representing the south east got a clear, unequivocal commitment from the Minister for Health that the project was not at risk. In fact, only last week we were told by the Minister, through a Minister of State in Waterford, that this money would not be affected and that it was 100% secure. I am...

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: We were told by the Minister for Health that he had signed off on the money for the second cath lab for Waterford.

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: Will Mr. Breslin bear with me for a second?

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: Either the Minister has signed off on that money or he has not.

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: I understand that.

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: I am sorry; I do not want to be rude. I zoned in on one specific project. That is what I am asking about. I understand the process which Mr. Curran has outlined. I am asking a specific question regarding one project. Is there a risk that the project will not be delivered as quickly as we hoped because of this overrun?

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: So Mr. Breslin cannot tell me the answer.

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: I am outraged by that. All Oireachtas Members representing the south east got a clear commitment on this issue from the Minister for Health. As Mr. Breslin will be aware, a large demonstration regarding this issue was held on the streets of Waterford as well. People will be outraged that, when a Minister is telling us that we have the money, Mr. Breslin is telling us that there is still a...

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: That is not my point. My point is that we should have been told that. Mr. Breslin is missing the point. It is not just this project, but all the others. We should have been told that was the case, but we were not. We were told by the Minister for Health that there was no problem and that the money had been signed off. It seems the money has not been signed off because there is still a...

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: I have given Mr. Breslin my opinion. I will return to this issue during Leaders' Questions with the Tánaiste because this is a matter for Government to sort out. I refer to the figures on page 3 of Mr. Pollock's opening statement. The Cathaoirleach helpfully dealt with some of this at the start of the meeting.

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: That context was necessary, however long it took. I am again unhappy with the way in which these figures were presented, and I will explain why. The February 2017 figure of €983 million includes the €637 million going to the contractors and separate moneys for the other areas which were not covered by the contractors. This means that the overall cost was €983 million....

Public Accounts Committee: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board: Financial Statements 2017 (31 Jan 2019)

David Cullinane: I do not have a lot of time and, to be fair, that does not answer my question. As the Cathaoirleach also noted, when looking at the figures, it should be a like-for-like comparison. The €983 million was the overall cost but the €1.4 billion underneath is not. The overall cost is closer to €1.7 billion. I asked a straight question. Mr. Pollock has answered the...