Results 1-20 of 11,721 for and speaker:Alan Kelly

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

Alan Kelly: I thank the Chair and the witnesses. For the public watching, this has been a disaster zone for years. I believe it is the fourth time people involved with the hospital have appeared in front of the committee. For me, this whole project is like a bad episode of "Room to Improve" on speed. That is how bad it is. We collectively need to get into layman's language in setting out where we...

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

Alan Kelly: I know, but will Mr. Quinn answer the question, please? He is the Department of Health’s representative at this meeting. I accept that he is a principal officer and not the assistant secretary or Secretary General, neither of whom are present, but does the Department believe that our national children’s hospital will be open in 2025?

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

Alan Kelly: ...the PwC report went through the risks going forward. One of them had to do with client changes. Since the GMP – for the audience, that means “gross maximum price” – was set, how many new and-or revised drawings have been issued to the contractor?

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

Alan Kelly: Remember the phrase “new and-or revised drawings”.

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

Alan Kelly: That is fine. I am sorry, but I need to move on. I have a set time. In major construction projects, there is always a change process and we understand that nothing will be set in stone. That is obvious. With a project of this scale, no one is suggesting it would be any different. How many change orders have been given to the contractor in the past six months?

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

Alan Kelly: Was that not very late in the day? Is there an issue with ceilings, light fittings, exit signs and so on?

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

Alan Kelly: ...relating to how disputes were dealt with. We have to get to the nub of this. The employer’s representative makes adjudications. The witnesses have been clear as to how those were sorted out and the volume of claims, including the volume that were sorted and paid. I accept the point on inflation. There is then the project board, conciliation, the High Court – there are...

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

Alan Kelly: Let me tease this out. I understand it is non-binding, but whoever is on the losing side, for want of a better term and just using sporting parlance, would have to go to the High Court to change it. That is according to the board’s table.

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

Alan Kelly: To be clear, there are currently no adjudications. There have been nine adjudications to date, in which BAM claimed approximately €63 million and was awarded €2.3 million.

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

Alan Kelly: I respect that. On the conciliations that are currently live, where the board has had the conciliator make decisions, the board now has a period to reflect on those and decide.

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

Alan Kelly: And therefore, would it be fair to say, substantial amounts?

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

Alan Kelly: ...was allocated recently to the project. I am paraphrasing when I say that the Minister said not a penny would go towards paying the contractor. Is that a substantiated statement Mr. Gunning can stand over? An extra €500-odd million has been given to close off this project and the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, said none of it would go to the contractor. Mr. Gunning is in charge of...

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

Alan Kelly: If disputes are settled and there is an award for the contractor, whether small or large-----

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

Alan Kelly: ...the funds [the €500 million] would go towards claims made by BAM.” I do not think that statement can be stood over. That is just absolute garbage. As a committee we should write to the Minister and tell him to withdraw this. He was either playing games or he is ignorant. This committee has shown that that is the most ridiculous statement the Minister has probably ever...

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

Alan Kelly: Exactly. I agree totally. I just wanted to make that point. I also believe we should write to CHI and get an update from it. Mr. Quinn said that some work, which I accept, would have been going on in parallel in respect of the six to nine months commissioning. We might get a status report from CHI on that. How many months has it cut off that nine months? That would be interesting. I...

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

Alan Kelly: ...to go after a contractor or a subcontractor for its insurance because it was felt what was done did not meet the requirements or it was unhappy with it. Has the board ever bypassed the contractor and said it needed to go for their insurance in relation to any aspect of the project?

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

Alan Kelly: That is fine. I return to something that was said earlier on and regarding the whole employer representative, ER, side of things. I understand we have the figures but we need to give a health warning as regards ER, not related to the decisions but on the quantum. There is a huge number of claims that are outstanding. I think it is €600 and something odd million. I am only using...

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

Alan Kelly: I look forward to discussing something like that again with Mr. Quinn. My colleague has very eloquently stated that the relationship between the contractor and the board is not - and I know it needs to be formal - on the friendliest of terms, for want of a better phrase. Has the Department, which is nearly like a referee itself, engaged any other formats, methodologies or people to try to...

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

Alan Kelly: With training and everything, I expect that but I want to know has the background work been done.

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

Alan Kelly: I do not understand why we cannot be told about these decisions. The board knows about them, as does the contractor. I presume Mr. Gunning has full confidence in the conciliator. Does he? For the record, Mr. Gunning is nodding. If the contractor knows, the development board knows and the conciliator knows, then why does the taxpayer or the Houses of the Oireachtas not know?