John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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178. To ask the Minister for Health the person or body who signed off on the cost estimates at each stage of the national children's hospital; and the budgeted projected cost of the project at each month since 2016. [11426/19]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) has statutory responsibility for planning, designing, building and equipping the new children's hospital and outpatient and urgent care centres in accordance with a brief approved by the HSE with the prior consent of the Minister for Health. 

Under the relevant statutory instrument, the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (Establishment) Order 2007 (S.I. 246 of 2007), the then Minister consented in June 2014, followed by HSE approval, to a project brief, incorporating a preliminary design brief, which Government was advised would enable the NPHDB to appoint a design team to commence design activities and user consultation and preparation of a detailed Business Case with a view to the submission of a planning application to an Bord Pleanála in 2015. Government noted the construction cost estimate for which the NPHDB is responsible as follows based on a preliminary estimate in 2014 of €790m, the refined estimate following design development in 2015 of €800m and the and pre-tender estimate in 2016 of €854m. 

Tender bids were received by the NPHDB at the end of October 2016. The Final Project Brief (incorporating Final Design Brief, Definitive Business Case and Project Execution Plan) were updated to reflect the post tender revised capital costs. In February 2017 the NPHDB submitted the Final Project Brief to the HSE for review seeking the Minister for Health’s consent and HSE approval in line with the approval process set out in the Board’s Establishment Order.  In April 2017, I brought a Memorandum to Government advising of the outcome of the tender process undertaken by the NPHDB with associated capital costs of €983m of which €916m was to be met by the Exchequer, and seeking approval for the construction investment decision, following which the HSE approved the Project Brief with my prior consent. 

In November 2018, following completion of the second stage of the two-stage tender procurement process, the NPHDB advised that the final cost of the design, build and equipment programme for which the NPHDB is responsible was €1,433 million, €450m more than advised to Government in April 2017.  In December 2018 I brought a further Memorandum to Government of the revised costs and Government approved the construction investment to allow Phase B of the hospital to be instructed.  

The breakdown of capital expenditure on the new children's hospital project from 2016 to 2018 is as follows:

The monthly expenditure drawn down in respect of the new children's hospital  from 2016  to date will be provided separately to the Deputy.