Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is welcome to the Chamber this morning and I thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to come here.

There has rightly been much outrage at the savage and massive overruns with the children's hospital, the detrimental effect that is going to have on the health services in the future, and how taxpayers' money has been squandered by those who failed to do their jobs properly. Indeed the HSE has warned that it would be almost impossible to deliver the planned, multi-billion euro investments in new healthcare facilities in the coming years because of the cost overruns at the national children's hospital. A recent report showed that the overrun means healthcare will need an additional €107 million in 2020, €120 million in 2021 and €150 million in 2022. The HSE has been concerned for some time, apparently, that the €11 billion funding arrangements for new hospitals, nursing homes, ambulances and equipment under the Ireland 2040 capital development plan are not balanced and that most of these large-scale projects are pushed out to the last ten years of the plan.

The HSE stated that the issue, along with having to deal with cost overruns from the new children's hospital in the years 2020 to 2022, "has made what was a very difficult situation now almost impossible". I understand the Cabinet was told last December that a number of health projects might have to be curtailed and others might have to be suspended completely due to the soaring costs of the children's hospital.

A letter to the Secretary General of the Department of Health, dated 3 May, from then acting director general of the HSE, Ms Anne O'Connor, outlined growing concerns about the capital funding position of the organisation and the emerging impact of the children's hospital on its overall capital programme. Crucially, Ms O'Connor highlighted the impact of the quality of care that the HSE can offer, in many instances directly affected and even compromised by the quality of infrastructure.The news comes as it has emerged that the financial position of the HSE for 2019 is now more serious than had been understood to date. In the first three months of the year, it recorded a total overrun of almost €103 million. This followed a €600 million deficit last year. The Government needs to come clean on what projects will proceed and what projects will not.

On healthcare projects in County Monaghan, I would like the Minister of State to give some clarity on the status of all those projects, particularly with the primary care centre promised for the St. Davnet's complex in Monaghan town. This is a project that has been earmarked for some time but has been dogged by delay after delay. I would like the Minister of State to confirm to me this morning that this project will proceed without delay and will be delivered on time and that no other health projects in County Monaghan will be affected or delayed by the cost overruns in the children's hospital.