Results 421-440 of 1,066,454 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Carol Nolan OR speaker:Seán Canney OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Willie O'Dea OR speaker:Claire Kerrane OR speaker:Stephen Donnelly OR speaker:Martin Browne OR speaker:Brendan Howlin OR speaker:Colm Brophy OR speaker:Aindrias Moynihan OR speaker:Brendan Smith OR speaker:Jack Chambers)

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: Next, I call Deputy Wynne to discuss the ECCE scheme's cut-off point for disabled children who need AIM-model funding for equipment to access preschool safety. I ask her not to mention anybody's name.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Oct 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: Yes. We have another name for the child that is not the actual name, if that is okay.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: Yes.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Oct 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: Lovely. Go raibh maith agat. I am incredibly grateful that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is here to take this question. It is of great local and personal importance to my constituents and to me. I had hoped the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, would take the question, but I was informed late yesterday evening that he was not in a position to do so. I will certainly not waste any time...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I wish the Chair and our colleagues a good morning. I welcome the opportunity to provide an update on the completion of the new children's hospital. I am joined by Fiona Ross, Derek Tierney, Tracey Conroy; and Patrick Lynch. We are all here today with a single focus, which is to see the new children's hospital completed and open and supporting the delivery of the best care possible to...

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

Stephen Donnelly: Electionitis is definitely diagnosable but is, as of yet, untreatable. I thank Deputy Durkan for his support. Colleagues here and in the wider Oireachtas have a job to do in holding the Government to account, as they should and must do. What has been helpful, and I thank colleagues for this, is that while they have asked tough questions of me and the Government - as they must do and I am...

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

Stephen Donnelly: Yes.

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

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, I do.

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

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, that is the information we have.

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

Stephen Donnelly: The €500 million figure would be slightly off but the figure of €2.2 billion is correct.

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

Stephen Donnelly: I do not have an exact date but in the last number of weeks. It was after I met the board. With regard to the sequence of events I have not got the exact date.

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

Stephen Donnelly: I will give the committee a quick sequence of events so that colleagues have it. The Department was contacted by the board to signal that BAM had moved its completion date. Ms Ross and I met and on the back of that meeting I met with the full board. On the back of that I wrote to the Taoiseach, and subsequent to that I wrote to the chair of Royal BAM group.

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

Stephen Donnelly: Yes. This is all in the last two months or so.

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

Stephen Donnelly: I did.

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

Stephen Donnelly: They did not disagree.

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

Stephen Donnelly: No. The Deputy's first question was whether I had put it to them. It was not exactly as the Deputy has said, but I did make it very clear that the view of the Government and the view of the board was that the project-----

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

Stephen Donnelly: We had a very clear and forthright discussion. Just before the Deputy came back in I said that, yes, I had very clearly put it them that it is our view the project was consistently and substantially under-resourced. I did not use those exact figures but the same point the Deputy is making was very clearly delivered.

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

Stephen Donnelly: We had a very clear discussion about the under-resourcing. I just want to use my language carefully because I do not want to put words in the mouth of the chief executive of Royal BAM. I am very happy to say to the Deputy what I had put to him but I do not think it would be fair for me to say that he accepted or did not accept that. BAM have their own view and I imagine if the committee...

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

Stephen Donnelly: As it happens, the question the Deputy just asked me is more or less exactly the question I put to their chief executive, which was that BAM's UK-Ireland operation has missed its deadline 14 times and missed its deadline four times this year so why should I believe that June is not going to be the 15th missed deadline. I asked for Royal BAM to stand over that date. I said that I cannot have...

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

Stephen Donnelly: With the Cathaoirleach's permission can we take a bit longer? It is a charge the Deputy has made many times. I have no issue with the charge and I fully appreciate why the Deputy would make it. I will answer directly the Deputy's first question as to the timing of the meeting with Royal BAM. Then, rather than hearing from me about my involvement in the project, I will ask Ms Ross, as the...