Children's Health Ireland (CHI) has said that the new National Children's Hospital will open when it is safe to do so, and around seven months after it receives "the keys".
CHI Chief Executive Lucy Nugent will tell the Oireachtas Committee on Health that she understands the widespread concern around the opening date.
In her opening statement, she will say that no-one wants the hospital more than the 5,000 staff who are on the current children's hospital sites - Crumlin, Temple Street and Tallaght.
She will also say that spinal surgery waiting times have improved and that each month patients receive their treatment and leave the list, while others are added.
Ms Nugent will say the inpatient or day-case average wait in December was now down to 4.2 months.
Separately, the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) said that on 13 March, it along with Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, the HSE, and the Department met with Royal BAM for assurance that the main builder, BAM Ireland, will meet its latest committed scheduled substantial completion date of 30 April.
In his opening statement for today's committee hearing, David Gunning, the Chief Officer of the Board, will say that over the past seven years, BAM had delayed the programme 18 times as regards to the substantial completion date.
The latest update shows that BAM has provided partial early access to certain areas of the new hospital.
Works have been completed on the lower ground level, level 0 and level 6.
Mr Gunning will tell the committee that these levels have been clinically cleaned, and the delivery, installation and commissioning of over 5,500 pieces of medical and non-equipment and ICT equipment has been completed.
All specialist inbuilt equipment such as MRIs, CTS and X-ray machines are also now installed.
To date, over 2,850 of the 5,728 rooms have been validated as meeting the contract standard, he will say.
Mr Gunning will say that the Board is exercising all its rights and remedies available under contract to compel BAM to achieve substantial completion.
He will say that on multiple occasions, the Board has withheld 15% of payment due to BAM, when its programme was deemed non-compliant.
The total cost incurred by the NPHDB by the end of February was €1.6 billion, including VAT.
By the end of February, 3,505 claims had been notified by BAM Ireland, most of which amount to a total of €899 million.
After assessment, €53 million has been paid to date.
The NPHDB said that claims are the subject of conciliation, adjudication and a number of High Court proceedings.
In 2013, the NPHDB was appointed by the Minister for Health to design, build and equip the new hospital on the St James's Hospital campus.
BAM started above-ground works in January 2019.
The final cost and opening date of the new hospital is not known at this point.
