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The 'opportune point' - John Pollock on his departure from the NPHDB

John Pollock said he will be leaving the NPHDB in June
John Pollock said he will be leaving the NPHDB in June

For now, John Pollock’s LinkedIn account features "Project Director, NPHDB (National Paediatric Hospital Development Board) as his current occupation.

However, all that is about to change.

John Pollock announced today that he will be resigning in June to allow time for a new director to be appointed.

As prestigious as the job is, whoever succeeds Mr Pollock will face further scrutiny over the construction costs overrun, which went from an original estimate of just under €500 million to over €1.4 billion.

In his decision to step down, the Cork-educated engineer has followed in the footsteps of his colleague - former chairperson of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board - Tom Costello, who left his post last month and was succeeded by Fred Barry.

John Pollock has nearly 40 years experience in the construction industry. The majority of that time was spent at Punch Consulting Engineers - a company specialising in civil and structural engineering consultancy - where he progressed from being a project engineer to becoming the company’s CEO.

He was also the Managing Director at TPE Consulting Engineers which has offices in Dublin, Saudi Arabia and the UK.

When the recession hit in 2008, he turned his attention to Saudi Arabia, where he was involved in the building of medical facilities.

In 2014, he took on the post of the project director of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, effectively becoming the chief executive officer responsible for the completion of Ireland’s largest building project.

In his statement today, Mr Pollock said he was proud of what he had achieved with the project.

He said he considered now to be the 'opportune point' to move on from the NPHDB.

The incoming chairman of the NPHDB, Fred Barry said he was disappointed by Mr Pollock’s departure, emphasising that the families and the children of Ireland owe him a significant debt of gratitude.

However, Mr Pollock’s resignation comes amid many unanswered questions over how the costs of the hospital project increased so dramatically.

In 2014, John Pollock was quoted in the Irish Times as saying the estimated cost of building the Children’s Hospital would be close to €650m, with the completion of the project expected by the end of 2018.

However, as of now, the current estimated cost of construction stands at €1.43bn, with the opening of the hospital expected in 2022.

Following the public outcry regarding the project’s inflated costs, Minister for Health Simon Harris indicated he would consider changes to the Board.

Ahead of a PwC report into the controversy, and the likelihood of further hearings before Oireachtas committees, it will fall to the recently appointed Fred Barry and to John Pollock’s successor to face the music.