Children's hospital costs will not impact other projects - Taoiseach

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has given the Dáil his "absolute assurance" that - amid rising costs for the new national children's hospital - other projects "will not be deleted or delayed".

The Health Service Executive has said that fluctuation in spending on the National Paediatric Hospital at the St James's Hospital campus in Dublin will have a significant impact on the remainder of its capital programme for this year.

The plan allocates over €1 billion for a variety of projects around the country, including 260 extra beds and more buildings.

It includes spending of €324m on the new children's hospital.

The hospital is due to open in 2025 at a provisional cost of €1.4bn. The original estimated cost was €450m in 2017.

After building and then commissioning costs, there is concern that the final cost of the project could be significantly over €2bn.

In the Dáil today Aontú leader Peader Tóibín warned that rising costs for the children's hospital was "swallowing up" funding for primary care centres, critical care centres in Cork and the restoration of Wexford Hospital.

But Mr Varadkar said that rising costs "won't impact other capital projects".

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said the Government is absolutely determined to ensure the fluctuation in spending on the hospital will not have any impact on the rest of the HSE's capital programme.

Speaking at Government Buildings, Mr Donnelly said it was not possible to say how much the new hospital would ultimately cost, but it would be in excess of the revised total of €1.4bn.

Minister Donnelly told the Dáil that "intensive negotiations" are underway over the cost.

He said that "there has been no resolution" on some issues, adding that there are claims which the development board and the State "flatly refuse" to pay.

Mr Donnelly was speaking after Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald criticised the Government for an "alarming" lack of transparency and accountability on the issue.

The HSE said its 2023 capital plan acknowledges that there are several challenges, concerns and risks associated with its delivery.

It said that these include potential unidentified clinical or infrastructural risk, which may arise and is unfunded in the plan and the issue of availability of adequate labour and specialised resources within the construction sector.

The HSE said the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) is continuing to engage with the contractor to secure an updated programme as required under contract and to get certainty on the substantial completion date.

The HSE said that adequate funding is specifically allocated in the 2023 HSE capital plan for the new children's hospital, meaning there will be no negative impact on the other projects in the capital plan.

The NPHDB has said external scaffolding surrounding the hospital is being removed and the external facade including glazing is almost complete.

The most advanced areas in the building have finished floors, walls, ceilings, nurse stations and medical equipment installed.

It said that the main contractor's programme is under constant review and that an updated programme was due from builders BAM in February but has not yet been received.

The chair of the Public Accounts Committee said it "has been hamstrung in its work" because it has been given "minuscule information", and "denied the type of information" it needs to do proper scrutiny on the children's hospital project.

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Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Brian Stanley said the finished price is still not known.

"It's gone well over budget," he said.

"We do know that by the end of this year, there will be another €250m or so spent on it.

"And I predict that by this by this month next year, around Easter next year, it will overshoot the target of €2bn on this project.".

Mr Stanley said the committee has "been trying to drill into this as far as we can, but apparently only the Secretary General of the Department of Health Health, Robert Watt, he assures me that he knows the price.

"He assured me of that in the Public Accounts Committee."

Mr Stanley said that he hopes the Taoiseach has "at least a ballpark figure" as the department officials have not been able to give him the figure.