Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I am particularly glad he is here because I know he is a straight talker and will be clear in his answers. In many ways, the issue I raise today is a quite straightforward question but it is one about which the entire country has a concern. I ask him to outline the progress on the building of the national children's hospital, the costs to date, the anticipated costs and, most important, the planned opening date.

I noticed that in responding on the previous Commencement matter, he observed that seven years is a long time. As he is aware, the planning and development of the national children's hospital has been going on for more than two decades. Planning permission for the site at St. James's Hospital was secured in 2016. From an initial budget of €983 million in 2017, the budget has grown to €1.7 billion. How much has been spent? What do the Minister of State, the Department and the HSE anticipate will be the final budget before the hospital is open? The most recent opening date we have been given is the second half of 2024.

As I am sure the Minister of State is aware, there are significant concerns in respect of inflation of construction costs and the shortage of labour, the impact that will have and if it has been factored in. This is something the entire country wants. We need a national children's hospital with core specialties and the best possible staff in the world to look after sick children.Everybody wants to see it happen. The Minister of State will appreciate that there is real frustration on the part of the public around some of the capital projects and this one, which is almost a signature capital project, has seen costs appearing to rise and rise again. There does not seem to be a sufficient level of accountability around those rising costs and we, as taxpayers, are picking them up. It is not even certain when the hospital will finally be completed.

It is important, not just today but on a regular basis, that the public be informed about what is happening with this really important capital project. The Minister of State should be able to provide assurances that there are sufficient levels of project and capital management to ensure the budgets are being kept on as tight a rein as possible. The Minister of States knows that one of the difficulties when it comes to major capital projects is that there is often a suspicion that the Government is not controlling expenditure and these costs spiral as a result. Everybody expects that the €1.7 billion will be exceeded, but I would be particularly grateful if the Minister of State could provide some clarity on the matter.