Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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239. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost to deliver the new National Maternity Hospital without delay. [25142/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The business case to support the capital project to relocate the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) to the St Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH) Campus is progressing. Site preparatory and enabling works were required to support the relocation but, with the exception of these enabling works, no further contractual commitments have been entered into with respect to works on the project.

All capital development proposals must progress through a number of approval stages, in line with the Public Spending Code, before a firm timeline or funding requirement can be established.

A Final business case has been submitted to the Department by the NMH Project Board and is now subject to technical review by the Department of Health, including the External Assurance Process for major capital projects recently introduced by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Pending favourable review under the Spending Code, a Memorandum for Government will then be brought forward to progress the programme for the NMH. If approval in principle is granted, the project can move to preparation of tender documents in line with EU law and deployment of a tendering strategy. The planned allocation for 2022 to support this business case progression is €10.9m.

The final decision to proceed with the construction and therefore to estimate the final cost for the new NMH cannot be made until the tender process has been completed and the costings reviewed to ensure that the proposal delivers value for money and remains affordable.