Results 1-20 of 1,049,378 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Christopher O'Sullivan OR speaker:Catherine Connolly OR speaker:Catherine Murphy)

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Thank you. Good morning to the witnesses. We meet again, as Deputy Kelly said. The two things people want to know is when the hospital will open and what it is going to cost. Mr. Gunning told us in his opening statement that the primary driver for the cost increase on the project has been the ongoing delay in the completion of the project. That is the first time that I can recall that he...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Mr. Gunning is using the words "encourage the contractor".

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: There is a gigantic deficiency in this contract in terms of controls or penalties to bring this contract to a conclusion. The lack of people on site has been an ongoing problem right from the word go. When the Government announced the extra €512 million, which is a ginormous amount of money, it said it would not be allocating any more money, but this project is not going to be...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: I understand inflation is part of the contract. Had the project been completed on time, however, the board would not be in a position where inflation would have impacted to the extent it has.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: On the 393 non-conformance reports that were issued by the employer's design team inspectorate, who is on that inspectorate?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: So it is across the disciplines.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: I just want to drill down here on this. On 26 March, there were 61 non-conformance reports to be closed. Six of the reports are being disputed by the contractor. The reports relate to things like not having a formal cleaning plan and the voids having material in them, which I would have thought was pretty important from the point of view of health and safety, and-----

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Yes, particularly given that it is the hospital. Are any of those going to delay the completion of the hospital?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Please give me a brief response.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Is there a cost associated with these?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Will the witnesses remind us what the quantum is of the case that is before the court? There is another case where the proceedings have not yet progressed. Is there a value on both of those? It is not an ultimate value that the court will come to but what have they claimed?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: If Mr. Gunning would provide it -----

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: The board has a date from the contractor but it does not have any of the details that substantiate that date for an additional three months. I heard a comment today that it is definitive there will be a three-month delay and that has been said by the Minister. Is the board confident? I do not believe it could be if it has not seen the detail of the additional three months. When does it...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: I was going to say that I have a memory of that and it was months before it complied.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Why would you not be cracking the whip at this stage? Why would you not be withholding money? This is absolutely scandalous. An additional €512 million has been put in to complete this hospital. Mr. Gunning is telling us that the things that are adding to the cost are the delays. Why would you not use that lever of withholding payment to more or less get the contractor to crack...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: But it is not.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: In this contract - not in a contract - because we see it all the time with road projects that if you do close lanes for a particular number of days, there is a cost. That is clearly not in this contract.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: I go back to the issue of substantial completion. At the engagement last time, the board could not get a date for substantial completion. Was funding actually withheld at that stage?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: But it did not actually withhold.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (30 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: We are back at the same point again. It is kind of Groundhog Day-----