Results 21-40 of 1,075,493 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:David Stanton OR speaker:Darren O'Rourke OR speaker:Emer Higgins OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Bernard Durkan OR speaker:David Cullinane OR speaker:Peadar Tóibín OR speaker:Michael Ring OR speaker:Cormac Devlin OR speaker:Joan Collins OR speaker:Heather Humphreys)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: Perhaps I could just come back in. This project strikes to the heart of the credibility of the State in relation to how it funds and delivers big projects. There have been acres of coverage on this children's hospital and all of its failures. My focus is on getting the hospital built. I want it built for children. I publicly called on the contractor to do what is right and resource the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: It told us that 16 months ago.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: I held on for a long time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: The Minister does not need to hide behind the chair of the board. People will make up their own minds on his performance. I will leave it there. It was not appropriate to ask the chair essentially to answer a charge that I believe stands up or to cover the Minister's back.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: It was for the Minister to answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: My charge was that the Minister did not meet the contractor over the course of two years, which he did not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: We should recognise that all my questions are questions. The Chairman knows that. I usually finish on time as well, which often does not apply to everybody.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: Can we start again? We are coming to the most intricate stages of the contract. It is important that everybody, the client and the builder concentrate on that. The smallest of things can cause an alarm and can lead to bigger things. Then, bigger things can go unnoticed. I have had occasion in the past to look at a number of contracts. I was surprised at some of the things that had gone...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: That is good. In recent times, this committee has asked particular questions and the contractor has stated that there have been changes to the contract. We know that there have to be some changes. There will always be changes to a contract. Some are instigated by the client and others by the contractor. Is the Minister satisfied that sufficient provision has been made? Is he also...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: That is understood. I presume the changes are due to changes in regulatory compliance that have arisen since the contract was originally signed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: Is it recognised on both sides that this is a requirement that has to be dealt with.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: We are aware from previous discussions that some of these matters remain unresolved and may have to be dealt with after the hospital is in operation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I happened to have been on the hospital site in a private capacity on numerous occasions in the past 12 months. I learned an awful lot. One can learn from a site inspection. Mine was not an official site inspection, I might add. I was there, and I must say it is a complicated project. Any complicated project will require the minutiae to be dealt with as part of the overall project. ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I know. Presumably, part of the car park is in the concourse adjacent to the hospital.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: Adjacent to the main entrance to the hospital there is a concourse where one can come up from the car park and go into the hospital. That is part of the hospital's effective design in order that patients, consultants or nursing staff can get to where they are supposed to be in the shortest possible time without going having to ask for directions, etc.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: I want to deal with the funding side. I am aware that some of this was dealt with earlier, but I want to circle back on some of the issues that were raised. There is a huge number of outstanding claims. BAM has placed a value of about €800 million or whatever on these. That has been disputed by the Minister, the State and, obviously, the board. Where we have total agreement is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: It is my understanding - the Minister might confirm this - that those claims centred around delays. While the total ask from BAM or the value BAM put on it might have been double what was awarded it was still awarded €108 million. How in God's name was it awarded €108 million if, as the board has stated, the delays were almost entirely or exclusively down to the contractor?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: I am sorry, I asked the Minister.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: I know it is, and it can be appealed to the court. The standing conciliator made a recommendation or however you want to put it. The conciliator adjudicated and made a recommendation in the amount of €108 million. The board contested this. I accept all of that. I went through this with the board. It was, however, the decision of the standing conciliator. Is that correct? The...