Tánaiste Simon Harris has said the State is “robustly” challenging millions of euro worth of claims made by the developer of the National Children’s Hospital.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the target date for the completion of the hospital had not changed after reports of further costs and delays.
The Irish Independent has reported that developer BAM submitted further construction claims worth €853 million and that the first patients will not be treated until 2026.
Speaking on his way into Cabinet, Mr Harris said the state had successfully pushed back against other claims.
“The National Children’s Hospital now is in the final stages of its completion in terms of its construction,” he said.
“Of course there will have to be the clinical kit-out of the hospital, that’s a vital part of the commissioning work that needs to take place.
“But I never accept the narrative put forward, sometimes, by the developer that they’re looking for all this additional funding.
“The state robustly pushes back against that and I want the taxpayers of this country to know that the state has successfully pushed back many claims to date, and will continue to adopt that approach.”
Mr Martin said: “The target date is still as it was outlined originally, but, again, we will have a further update from the Minister of Health and I await that.
“Look, there has been engagement between the hospital development board and the (developer) for quite some time. That needs to continue and the state needs to ensure it gets value for money.
“The state needs to ensure that it robustly defends the interests of the taxpayer while ensuring that this project is brought to completion.”
In a statement to Newstalk, the company building the hospital said the claims process as set out in the contract requires BAM to submit claims on an itemised basis and BAM is only seeking the amount it is fairly due.
It also states recommendations from the independent conciliator are binding on the parties unless subsequently overturned in Court.
Meanwhile, the opposition have criticised the Government's handling of the project.
Sinn Féin's Health Spokesperson David Cullinane called on the Health Minister to meet with the board and BAM to clarify all outstanding issues:
"The difficulty that we have every time we discuss the National Children’s Hospital is that we as public representatives can’t give any confidence to the public on when the hospital will be completed, when the hospital will be treating children, which is ultimately the most important element of all of this, that we actually have a new hospital that can give first class treatment to children," Mr Cullinane told Newstalk.
He further said that the Health Minister must get certainty on the hospital's completion date.
"We don’t have any confidence that any of the dates we have been given have been met, and how can we when 14 completion dates have come and have gone? So all I’m saying is, not that the Minister can undo all of the damage that was done by her government over the last four or five years, but she does need to start as she means to go on, meet with the board, meet with the contractor and establish whether or not that date in June will be met, and if it won’t be met, well, why?"
Labour have said the Government hasn't been straight with the public.
The Health Minister has been put under pressure to reveal what she knows about the 14th delay to the National Children's Hospital since planning was granted nine years ago.
Labour's health spokesperson Marie Sherlock told Newstalk that Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill must outline all of the information she's been given.
"The reality now is that we’re looking at 12 months away to Spring 2026 by the time we will see the new National Children’s Hospital open, that is some four years after the original date. But the critical issue now is that the Minister publishes the briefing that she privately got, that she makes clear that she’s confident that construction work will conclude in June of this year," Ms Sherlock said.
Additional Reporting: PA
