Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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171. To ask the Minister for Health to provide a progress report on the delivery of the National Children’s Hospital. [9882/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The timely completion of the New Children’s Hospital (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.

In October 2024, BAM Ireland and Royal BAM committed to a substantial completion date of June 2025 and to enable early access for Children’s Health Ireland to the site.

Construction on the main site has advanced to over 95% 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 technical commissioning of the building well underway.

External works completed include the main entrances, road junctions, emergency department car park, upgrades to St. James’s Campus internal roads, hard and soft landscaping, gardens and play areas. The construction of the helipad was completed in 2024. The first of its kind in Ireland, it will serve the NCH and St James’s Hospital.

The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) is engaging with BAM, HSE, CHI to secure additional early access for CHI of up to three months prior to substantial completion to mitigate risks of delays to operational commissioning.

Once substantial completion is achieved the hospital will be handed over to CHI for operational commissioning, (approximately 6-9 months). With over 4,600 clinical spaces, this will be a complex phase, involving the clinical fit-out for the entire hospital, total digital integration, staff training, and other activities to ensure the hospital can open and accept patients safely.

In preparation for the operational commissioning of the new hospital, CHI started the pre-commissioning phase in July 2023.

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.