Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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181. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated new completion date and total cost of the new children’s hospital in view of recent delays and legal challenges; and the estimated total cost overrun in percentage terms. [42347/20]

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 current overall capital build cost of the project is €1,433bn. This includes all of the capital cost for the main hospital at St James's Hospital campus, the two Outpatient Department and urgent care centres at Connolly and Tallaght Hospital campuses, equipment for the three sites, and the construction of the carpark and retail spaces. Additional costs in relation to the integration and transfer of the services of the three children’s hospitals to the new sites brings the total cost to €1.73 billion.  

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.