Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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663. To ask the Minister for Health when his Department will finalise and publish its assessment of the revised budget and timelines regarding the construction of the new national children’s hospital. [23253/21]

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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664. To ask the Minister for Health if he will publish the detailed analysis compiled by the National Paediatric Health Development Board regarding the national children’s hospital which was submitted to his Department in early February 2021. [23254/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 663 and 664 together.

The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) has statutory responsibility for planning, designing, building and equipping the new children's hospital.

The NPHDB has, at my request, undertaken a review of the project. The Board and the Department are nearing the finalisation of this review. This additional scrutiny will provide the appropriate assurances to Government that there has been a robust analysis of the way forward, to ensure the delivery of a world class children's hospital.

Following the completion of this review, expected in the coming weeks, an update on the position will be provided to the relevant stakeholders.

It is important that these established governance processes put in place are respected, so as not to have a potentially detrimental effect on the future delivery of this project or undermine the role of the Board in its ongoing engagement with the main contractor and its work more generally.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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665. To ask the Minister for Health if he is considering a more hands-on-approach to the resolving the ongoing dispute between a company (details supplied) and the National Paediatric Health Development Board considering the substantial delays to the construction of the national children’s hospital [23255/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The National Paediatric Health Development Board (NPHDB) has statutory responsibility for planning, designing, building and equipping the new children's hospital.

There are Governance structures in place to oversee and monitor progress on the Children’s Hospital Project and Programme. These include the Children's Hospital Project and Programme Board, chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of Health, and the Children’s Hospital Project and Programme Steering Group, chaired by the Deputy Director General of the Health Service Executive. The Steering Group directs the overall programme of work within agreed parameters, and reports to the Children’s Hospital Project and Programme Board.

Officials in my Department engage with the NPHDB on a regular basis. I have been informed by my officials that the main contractor on the project has submitted a significant number of claims to the NPHDB which it alleges are outside the agreed scope of the construction contract. It is entitled to do that.

The NPHDB continues to robustly defend claims from the contractor where, in the opinion of the Board and its advisors, there is no contractual entitlement. Where there is a dispute on the validity of a claim, the construction contract sets out the dispute management process. Under the Dispute Resolution procedures claims can proceed to conciliation and potentially end up in Court.

There are three matters relating to the New Children’s hospital before the High Court. The decisions to issue these proceedings rests with the NPHDB and the contractor. As the matters are now before the Courts, I do not wish to say anything that could in any way prejudice those proceedings.