Results 16,181-16,200 of 32,593 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: We are virtually at that point. This project is sharing figures that are based on the completion of a tendering process. Since the tendering process has taken place, it has yielded figures which have a high degree of certainty. Any potential change to them will be highlighted by PwC's work on the matter.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I believe all of the tendering projects for the hospital itself are now complete but I know in the figures that have been shared, which go up to €1.7 billion, that different contingencies are acknowledged.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: For the building, yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: It is the final price for the key building itself. I know that the Department of Health has outlined a number of possible contingencies. All of this will take place after a tendering process has concluded and we have greater clarity on what final prices will be.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: It was overseen by the hospital board.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I do not know if it was put up by the hospital group itself but I know the entity with responsibility for the delivery of the project and all related processes was the hospital board. The hospital board has responsibility for it but I want to make clear that I take responsibility for the final decisions on making funding available for the project. I wish to ask a final question for clarity....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: By this point, much if not all the cost of underground and overground work has been captured in the process taking place.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: My understanding is that the different contingencies which have been outlined and which have led to some speculation about the higher costs going all the way up to €2 billion refer to further pieces of equipment or changes that might need to be made to the building once it is built.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The reason they are contingencies is that we do not yet have clarity on what the final cost will be. How each of those contingencies materialises will depend on whether a procurement process is under way in relation to it. I am pretty certain that as a consequence of all the scrutiny that now understandably surrounds this project, great efforts will be made to ensure that any confusion or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: No, that process will still be led by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: That is a hypothetical question-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: -----about what would happen if I was doing another job. My hands are full doing the job I have at the moment. It would not be fair of me to comment on what I might do or say if I was in another situation. The Minister, Deputy Harris, was dealing with an exceptionally difficult situation, one of many that he has to deal with as Minister for Health. He dealt with this in the best way that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Minister, Deputy Harris, has acknowledged that there are many aspects of this issue that have concerned him. That is one of the reasons a review of it is under way. I will not comment on what I might have done in those circumstances.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: We have already made clear that in the absence of an agreement we will not be putting those checks in place at the Border. In fairness to the European Commission and the British Government, they have all acknowledged their commitment to that objective as well. Regarding checks that are likely to develop, I have already said in dealing with questions Deputy Doherty put to me that if the UK...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The Minister is repeating a commitment that the Government will not impose any checks on the Border in the event of any sort of Brexit.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: I have answered this question in this committee already but I am happy to say it again. The Irish Government has made clear that we will not be putting checks or procedures in place on our Border. The reasons for that transcend the discussion we are having about economics or trade policy. I know the consequences of doing that would stretch all over our island and deeply affect the stability...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: The European Commission has been at the forefront of a process of trying to avoid those checks taking place in the first place.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Let me deal with that by going back to the questions from the Deputy's colleagues which I have dealt with. As I said in an interview earlier in the week, in that kind of scenario we would have to engage in a further negotiation, to which there would be three parties, namely, Ireland, the European Commission and the United Kingdom, on how the consequences of a disorderly Brexit would be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach (5 Feb 2019)

Paschal Donohoe: Our commitment and objective of ensuring that would not change in that scenario.