National Children’s Hospital hit with 16th delay

The National Children’s Hospital will miss its November completion date, marking the 16th time the completion date has been missed

The latest delay to the never-ending project, which broke ground in July 2016, was raised at the  Dáil Public Accounts Committee this week.

In a letter to the committee, members were informed that BAM, the company in charge of delivering the project, will have payments withheld as a consequence.

In September, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the blame was squarely at BAM’s feet, saying the company faces a major reputational loss as a result of the major delays.

Per the Minister, work at the site is around “99% complete,” but it was still not ready for the public to use.

Speaking in the Dáil this week, she said, “the state is paying the contractor to complete the contract on time. It would be very helpful for everybody to be aware that we together, are paying a contractor that is not delivering its commitments on time for this state and for all the people in this state.”

“It is essential that it does. I am holding the contractor seriously to account for the dates that it sets and it moves. Our hospital development board is trying to hold that contractor to account.”

The Dún Laoghaire TD said, “the government is clearly doing that by articulating it in this way. It would be fantastic if other TDs could make it very clear that the contractor has a responsibility to the state , in terms of this project and every other project in which it is engaged, and to its international reputation as well.

In a late August article from the Irish Medical Times, it was reported that just 15% of the rooms at the hospital were completed and in a “satisfactory” condition.

When asked by reporters in early September when the hospital will open its doors, she simply replied, “ask BAM.”

Social Democrats health spokesperson Padraig Rice said that the Minister was trying to shift the blame to BAM.

“The contractor has serious questions to answer, but that does not absolve the government of responsibility for this fiasco,” he said.

“There is an overwhelming sense that nobody in government is in control of one of the most expensive capital projects in the history of the state.”

Construction began on the hospital when Simon Harris was the Minister for Health, three governments ago.

Rice said “the fingerprints of four Ministers for Health – including two former Taoisigh – are now all over this disaster, with not one of them prepared to accept any responsibility for the endless delays and runaway costs.”