Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I and everyone else appreciate there is construction inflation but we are still talking about a hospital that is costing what, on the face of it, is looking like at least twice what was originally budgeted and we still do not have the final figure. Can the Minister of State assure us that the target for the national children's hospital to be open by the end of 2024 will still be met? Second, can she assure us that when the Government publishes the details of whoever has been awarded the tender for the national maternity hospital and the ballpark figure for the cost of constructing that hospital, the necessary safeguards will be in place as a result of this review to ensure the costs do not spiral out of control in the same way they did for the children's hospital?