Results 441-460 of 1,071,783 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Róisín Shortall OR speaker:Jennifer Murnane O'Connor OR speaker:Stephen Donnelly OR speaker:Brendan Griffin OR speaker:Verona Murphy OR speaker:Michael Collins OR speaker:Noel Grealish OR speaker:Thomas Byrne OR speaker:Ivana Bacik OR speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice OR speaker:Marc MacSharry)

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...

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

Stephen Donnelly: That is why. With the Chair's permission, I will ask Ms Ross to give a view as well.

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

Stephen Donnelly: May I respond? With respect, it is a charge the Deputy has made many times. I answered it here directly and I have answered it many times.

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

Stephen Donnelly: I did. I have no problem doing so and I do not blame the Deputy for asking the question. This is the chair of the board's first appearance before the committee. The Deputy has made the charge many times. It is not reasonable to suggest that asking for the board's view on the Deputy's challenge is inappropriate.

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

Róisín Shortall: The development board has been before the committee several times, as the Minister will be aware, and it has appeared before the Committee of Public Accounts several times. Both committees have been utterly frustrated for a long time, because every time the board came to speak to us, its members were throwing their hands in the air and seemed completely helpless. There was a stand-off...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I hope it was a productive meeting. Let us see what comes out of it. The message I delivered to Royal BAM Group was that the Government and I could not have confidence in a June deadline being reported to us by BAM UK and BAM Ireland and I requested that Royal BAM Group stand over that date. We discussed the fact that BAM has had a good relationship with the Irish State on other capital...

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

Róisín Shortall: I apologise for interrupting. Time is ticking. What was the upshot of the meeting?

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

Stephen Donnelly: The upshot of the meeting was that Royal BAM Group said it would stand over the June deadline. It has agreed to have intensive engagement with its UK and Ireland operation and with Ms Ross, Mr. Gunning and the rest of the board so that there is a project, for which the board and the independent assessor can say they have confidence the deadline can be met. Second, we have also agreed to...

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

Róisín Shortall: Two weeks ago, the Minister was quoted as saying that BAM Ireland was seeking to extract as much money from the Irish taxpayer as possible. Did he repeat that charge to Royal BAM Group?

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

Stephen Donnelly: It was certainly raised at the meeting.

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

Róisín Shortall: What was its response?

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

Stephen Donnelly: I do not want to characterise its responses, but the Deputy will appreciate that it did not enter the meeting accepting that it was fully at fault for everything.

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

Róisín Shortall: Did it strenuously deny the charge or did it accept the Minister had a point? What was its response? It is a serious allegation to have made.

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

Stephen Donnelly: It is and I stand over it. Obviously, it is something it would dispute.

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

Róisín Shortall: Did it dispute it?

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

Stephen Donnelly: I do not want to mischaracterise things. These matters were raised over the course of a long meeting. I will not put words in Royal BAM Group's mouth. I think it would be fair to say that I imagine if it were here, it would dispute it. I can be more helpful than that. It wrote a letter in response, in which it refuted that allegation.

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

Róisín Shortall: Was that Royal BAM Group or BAM Ireland?

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

Stephen Donnelly: I think it was BAM Ireland, but I would have to check.