The situation with the building of the National Children's Hospital is a "crisis" and the Government "simply can't get on top of this issue", Sinn Féin's Spokesperson on Health David Cullinane has said.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill yesterday rejected a claim by construction company BAM that "large areas" of the hospital have been finished "since early July" and offered to the NPHDB as "not credible".
The company said it was disappointed in her comments.
BAM said the minister's remarks indicated that she had only received partial information in relation to the current status of the project, adding that the hospital was 99% complete.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Deputy Cullinane said they are seeing "more finger pointing" from Minister Carroll MacNeill.
He said there are problems with the contractor and there is a responsibility on the contractor to complete the job, but there is also a responsibility on the minister and the Government.
"We have to go back to the original contract that was signed by Simon Harris. We know that contract was deeply flawed. It was a build as you go hospital," he said.
"That contract has led to cost overruns ... we've had 14 completion dates which have come and gone. The most recent completion date is October of this year and there is no hope that that completion date will be met."
Mr Cullinane said Minister Carroll MacNeill is "trying to flex her muscles" and is putting all of the responsibility back on the contractor.
He said there "has to be accountability" and the Government must be honest about where they are with this project.
"There has to be honesty from the minister in relation to what options are open to the State to hold the contractor to account," he said.
"It certainly doesn't serve any purpose that we have this very unseemly row, time and again, between the contractor and the Government. The Government is sitting idly by acting as commentators."
Mr Cullinane said the minister needs to meet with BAM and make sure the project is moved on, and needs to explain what financial and legal levers exist within the contract to hold the contractor to account.
"It's now going to be 2027, at the very earliest, before a single child is treated in the hospital," he added.
