Results 21-40 of 1,068,031 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl9 OR speaker:Roderic O'Gorman OR speaker:Danny Healy-Rae OR speaker:Robert Troy OR speaker:James Browne OR speaker:Bernard Durkan OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl4 OR speaker:Brendan Griffin OR speaker:Patrick Costello OR speaker:John Lahart) in 'Committee meetings'

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)

John Lahart: I echo the Minister's appreciation for the workforce. I think I speak for all of us who have been down there when I say that the employees, both from the board and the contractor, clearly have one aim in mind. They are very proud of their work. Deputy Kelly referred to the conciliator and confidence in the conciliator. I do not want to dwell on this matter. He is saying that David...

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

John Lahart: There is agreement on the lack of confidence.

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

John Lahart: What happened there?

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

John Lahart: It cannot be changed.

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

John Lahart: We have already heard that BAM, the contractor, priced a particular change at €25 million and said it would take months to complete. It eventually cost €200,000 and was done in a matter of weeks. That was stated on the record of this committee. I share the view expressed by Deputy Cullinane about it being unseemly and unedifying. The public is aghast. However, there is...

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

John Lahart: I thank the Chair for that intervention. I am not suggesting anything more. We have heard from the board that claims made by BAM were not stood up by the conciliator or, when they were settled, were settled for a fraction of what BAM was seeking and they are now resolved. Is that correct?

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

John Lahart: It amounts to a single-figure percentage of what was originally claimed.

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

John Lahart: I will come to Mr. Tierney with my last question and maybe this is a roundabout way of getting to the heart of some of the things that went on. We went to the new national maternity hospital and the Minister has mentioned a number of new hospital projects that are going to be undertaken under his stewardship, which I welcome. What are the significant lessons learned? What are the...

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

John Lahart: I thank the Minister and his officials for their attendance before the committee on this very important matter. The Minister will take away with him the fact that the committee remains acutely concerned about the issues arising from the development of the national children's hospital. We will be monitoring it closely. Having visited, we know that, in spite of everything we have said today,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Housing Provision (8 Oct 2024)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: This matter is a very important one for the Department of housing and I thank the Deputy for raising it. It is very important that local authority tenants who are occupying social housing properties and paying weekly rents are living in homes that provide good comfort levels for their occupants. The Deputy will be aware that in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, local...