Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leader for outlining a particularly busy day and week for all of us. I will speak on Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 and also on the Order of Business. I thank the Leader for outlining the Order of Business.

I will raise a number of points this afternoon. The first is a very sensitive issue but it cannot go unmentioned. I refer to what happened in Strokestown. Strokestown is an area I know a bit better than people might think because my grandmother was from and grew up in Strokestown although she has long since passed away. Strokestown was formerly known for having one of the widest streets in Europe despite the fact it is in a relatively small country town.

I appreciate that much of what happened in the past week to ten days is not familiar to all of us and I am sure there are details that are being kept confidential. The evictions that happened last Tuesday and the scuffles and so on that happened are very distressing. I do not think anyone can condone violence towards people. We need to be very vigilant. There are many people facing similar circumstances. If they are evicted we end up having to rehouse them. The State needs to look at a mechanism whereby if people are in difficulty the State takes over the property and leaves people there and manages the business in some way or other. We could end up having all these properties being taken over with similar levels of unrest. It is not good that people are losing their family homes. Much of the story was in the paper this morning. There were very significant debts and an issue going on a long time. Perhaps people were not engaging the way we hope they would. The State and the Government needs to take the issue into account.

It is just over 18 months since the Minister told us the expected cost of the children's hospital was €1 billion and that, perhaps more importantly, it would be delivered on time. We now know that neither is the case. It was reported last week in The Irish Timesand in further reporting today that the projected cost of the national children's hospital is now €1.4 billion. That is more than twice the €650 million estimate that was used when planning permission was given only two years ago, which looks to be a projected cost increase of almost €1 million a day. The suggestion is the hospital will now be the most expensive hospital ever constructed in the world. What are we getting for this €1.4 million? Will the sum climb higher again? None of us can have faith that a figure that was €650 million, then €1 billion and now €1.4 billion will not rise further. We need to know that taxpayers and citizens will ultimately get a good service and value for money. The Minister needs to come into the House sooner rather than later and let us know what is happening.

On another health-related matter, it is reported the Minister, Deputy Harris, is expected to seek Cabinet approval for the first phase of construction of the National Maternity Hospital to proceed on the site of St. Vincent's Hospital in Dublin, but the legal agreement between the Department of Health, the National Maternity Hospital and St. Vincent's Hospital on the final contract is not expected until the new year. Since the announcement of that hospital there has been nothing but controversy and little progress on the site. We need to be very guarded and mind taxpayers' investment in hospital facilities. I know the Minister was very busy in the House last week on a particularly important issue for many people on both sides but these are very significant infrastructural projects with very significant cost overruns and if I was a member of the Government or a governing arrangement, Opposition people would certainly be challenging me on the figures. It is important.

On Brexit, will the Leader outline the Government's plans in the event of a likely no-deal scenario?