Written answers
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Department of Health
Departmental Expenditure
Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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1425. To ask the Minister for Health the cost to date of work relating to the construction of the National Children’s Hospital; to indicate a timetable for opening; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46797/24]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In February 2024, Government approved enhanced capital and current budget sanctions for the New Children’s Hospital (NCH) project and programme, bringing the total approved budget to €2.24billion.
Included in this is the capital budget of €1.88 billion for designing, building and equipping the NCH and the two satellite centres. A separate €362 million budget is for the programme of integration and transition of services to the NCH from the three existing children’s hospitals, including commissioning, ICT, and the Electronic Health Record system.
The timely completion of the NCH is a government priority. Everything possible is being done to ensure the project is completed as soon as possible on behalf of children, young people and their families.
The two satellite centres, which represent major milestones in the programme, are open and delivering the new model of care. Construction has advanced to over 94% complete against contract value. The project is now in the construction completion (‘snagging’ and ?nishing) phase, with the fit out of rooms and installation of fixed medical equipment and integrated building technical commissioning well underway.
The substantial completion of NCH is informed by the contractor’s programme of works and its ability to meet the targets set out in its own programme.
The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) advised that BAM Ireland has submitted an updated programme underpinning its intention to complete the construction and fit out of the NCH by June 2025 . On 2 December 2024, after reviewing the updated programme and its further revisions, the Employer’s Representative- the independent third party responsible for administration of the contract- deemed the programme to be compliant with the requirements of the contract.
NPHDB is continuing to use the full extent of levers available to it under the contract to hold BAM to its new commitment of substantially completing the hospital by June 2025.
Once substantial completion is achieved, the hospital will be handed over to Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) for a post substantial completion operational commissioning period of at least 6 months.
To ensure operational commissioning is achieved as close to 6 months as possible, the NPHDB and CHI are engaging closely with BAM to secure 3 months early access to certain areas of the hospital, prior to substantial completion.
Ahead of the transition to the new facilities, a significant body of work is ongoing to integrate the three hospitals from a clinical, operational, and cultural perspective.
While much focus has been on the challenges faced by the project, it is important to note that once open, the NCH will provide world class facilities to its patients. The NCH is unprecedented in scale, facilities, and technological advancement. It will be transformational in how we treat and deliver care to children and their families. The hospital has been designed and constructed to be as enduring and adaptable as possible. It is a building for the next 75-100 years, rather than the 40-50 years of other hospitals internationally.
Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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1426. To ask the Minister for Health the cost to date of work relating to the construction of the planned National Maternity Hospital; to indicate a timetable for opening; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46798/24]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In July 2023, Cabinet gave its approval for the new National Maternity Hospital (NMH) at Elm Park, co-located with St Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH), to proceed to tender for a main contractor to construct the new hospital in line with EU and national requirements.
The main tender process, which began in September 2023, is programmed to run over a period of c.18 months.
The budget for the main construction works is subject to the outcome of this tender process, the selection of the most economically advantageous tenderer(s), and the subsequent updating of the final business case for Government approval to proceed. It is expected that construction of the hospital will commence later this year and be completed in 2029.
Construction Costs to date:
A series of works were initially carried out to de-risk the campus in advance of the construction works for the new hospital and as part of the ongoing investment in our legacy health estate to address the risks on acute hospital campuses. This included enabling works, decanting, junction upgrades, and prevention works, some of which were specific planning requirements. As part of the SVUH Campus Development Plan a new pharmacy facility and extension to the existing multi storey carpark were completed in 2021.
In parallel to the ongoing tender and procurement process, and in order to construct the proposed NMH development as a single-phase development and de-risk the future site as much as possible, a number of buildings are required to be completed in advance of the commencement of the main NMH works. This will enable the decant of existing facilities away from the footprint of the new NMH and improve campus-wide resilience in terms of mechanical and electrical energy for both SVUH and the new NMH.
Construction commenced on these works in December 2023. It is expected that these enabling works and the main tender process will both be completed in tandem by mid-2025. The overall spend to date on these enabling works, and important projects in their own right, is €124m.
Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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1427. To ask the Minister for Health the cost to date of the May 2021 cyberattack on the Health Service Executive; the measures that have now been implemented to protect against future such attacks; and any concerns that he may have concerning cybersecurity in the Health Service. [46799/24]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
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