Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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163. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the construction of the national children’s hospital; the details of level of spending to date in 2020 on legal fees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42345/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Under the contract, the new children's hospital is due to be completed by the end of 2022 and handed over to Children's Health Ireland to open in 2023 after a period of commissioning. There will be delays associated with the requirement to cease works on the site of the new Children’s Hospital due to Covid-19 restrictions and the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) was of the view that the Main Contractor was behind schedule on the construction works prior to Covid closures.

The NPHDB is continuing to engage with the main contractor to obtain an updated programme of works that is in line with its contractual commitments and is undertaking as assessment of the position in order to assess a revised likely timeframe, bearing in mind the delays that have occurred to date.

It is not possible at this stage to forecast the cost implications as the position continues to unfold.

As the NPHDB has statutory responsibility for planning, designing, building and equipping the new children's hospital, I have referred the remaining part of your question regarding the details of the spending to date in 2020 on legal fees to the NPHDB for direct reply.