Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1165. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated total cost to build and fit out the new National Maternity Hospital; and the estimated total square metre cost to build and fit out the new National Maternity Hospital. [47852/25]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1166. To ask the Minister for Health if the new National Maternity Hospital cost more than the National Children's Hospital to build and fit out, per square metre; and the like-for-like, comparative square metre cost of the two projects. [47853/25]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1167. To ask the Minister for Health the number of mechanical and electrical contractors tendered for works on the new National Maternity Hospital; if the fact that there was only one mechanical and electrical contractor tendering for works on the new National Maternity Hospital mean that there was no competition on price or quality; and her views on whether this will increase the cost of the project overall. [47854/25]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1168. To ask the Minister for Health if she will postpone the awarding of contracts for the National Maternity Hospital given concerns over burgeoning costs at the hospital; and if the reason that costs have increased so much will be investigated. [47855/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1165, 1166, 1167 and 1168 together.

Government is committed to the development of the new National Maternity Hospital (NMH) at Elm Park.

It is a major infrastructural investment by the State for women’s health, providing much needed facilities for women and babies for generations to come. The extra capacity to be provided at the new NMH will help safeguard national neonatal, maternity and gynaecology service provision.

The overall budget of the new National Maternity Hospital (NMH) will be made up of several factors including programme costs, inflation and contingencies. The main cost will be the actual construction cost.

As noted in the Parliamentary Budget Office report on Hospital Construction Costs from January 2025, comparing costs of different hospital projects by square metre or cost by bed does not provide a suitable equivalence as neither is reflective of the model or level of acuity in each facility.

In July 2023, Government gave its approval for the NMH to proceed to tender. That process commenced in September 2023 with the publication of Suitability Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ) (the initial step in the procurement process) for the main works contractor, and separately for both the mechanical and the electrical reserved specialists. The purpose of the SAQs was to ensure a robust and efficient tendering process by shortlisting potential contractors based on technical capability, financial and economic standing, and resourcing capacity to deliver the project.

To promote the project and to generate market awareness, the HSE project team and the Design Team undertook significant market engagement including carrying out several ‘Meet the Buyers’ sessions during the initial expression stage. These sessions provided the market with an overview of the project, the procurement and contract strategy, and other important project details. All of the ‘Meet the Buyers’ sessions were well attended by the main works contracting sector and the reserved specialists’ sectors.

In March 2024, the prequalified tenderers were invited to develop and submit tenders to the request for main construction works, and for the reserved specialists (mechanical and electrical). Multiple contractors were involved in that process for the various contracts.

The procurement and tender process has been concluded by the HSE and the outcomes have been incorporated into a Final Business Case. This Final Business Case was recently submitted to officials in the Department of Health and is being reviewed in line with the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines.

The final decision to proceed with construction will be determined by Government based on the continuing affordability and value for money of the project.