Results 41-60 of 1,066,433 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:Bríd Smith OR speaker:James O'Connor)

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

Stephen Donnelly: The reason I wrote directly to the CEO of Royal BAM was that I simply could not have confidence in the June 2025 deadline for completion. When I met the board, the members were very clear that they could not have confidence in it either. The programme of works the company had submitted to meet that was either deemed non-compliant or as yet had not been deemed to be compliant. As I said to...

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

Stephen Donnelly: Commissioning the building is essentially everything required from when we take over an empty, finished building to children walking into that building with their parents to be treated and walking out again. It is a huge operation. We are bringing several children's hospitals into one. There are new operating theatres, new rooms, new ways of working and new nurses' stations. It will be our...

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

Stephen Donnelly: It so happens that there are things that can be accelerated. Some things cannot be accelerated but other things can be, including the laboratories and other complex back office systems. If the contractor can give us or CHI access to that early, which it has agreed to do, we believe that the commissioning can be accelerated and de-risked to some degree.

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

Stephen Donnelly: I will ask Ms Ross to answer that.

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

Stephen Donnelly: Which meeting?

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

Stephen Donnelly: On the BAM side, there was the global chief executive, its UK and Ireland chief executive or general manager, whatever the title is, and its chief operating officer. On our side, it was Ms Ross, me, Robert Watt, my Secretary General, Derek Tierney, who is the assistant secretary over this, Bernard Gloster, chief executive of the HSE, and my special adviser, Susan Mitchell.

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

Stephen Donnelly: It was my first meeting with the chief executive of Royal BAM.

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

Stephen Donnelly: I do not want to characterise Royal BAM. It is for its representatives to say how they felt at the meeting. I can say that it was a very open conversation. The frustrations on both sides were aired. We need to wait and see but there is the possibility that it will have been a productive meeting. Given that deadlines have come and gone, we would all be naive to walk away and think that it...

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

Stephen Donnelly: Regarding the costs, I made the point on behalf of the Irish people that the Irish Government agreed to an amount earlier this year and that is the amount on the table, which we do not intend to add to. It has been made clear that the budget has been set. It is in everybody's interests, including obviously the children of Ireland but also the contractor, for the contractor to accelerate its...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I would prefer not to try to characterise BAM because it would be fully entitled to come back and say that is a matter for the company. I apologise for repeating myself. The full gamut of issues was discussed in a frank and open way.

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

Stephen Donnelly: For me, the purpose of the meeting was because I did not have confidence in the June date and the board, acting on all our behalf, certainly did not have confidence in the June date. That was the genesis of the meeting. From my perspective, one of the core points of the meeting was to say this is BAM's fourteenth deadline, that we cannot possibly have confidence, and the board most...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I will reserve judgment on that until Ms Ross, Mr. David Gunning and the team-----

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

Stephen Donnelly: Because we need to see the change. It is all well and good for me and the global chief executive to meet and commit to an improved approach to this, but I want to see the change. Ms Ross and I will be staying in regular contact. I want to see the change. I want to see a programme of work in which David Gunning, Fiona Ross and all the board, acting on our behalf, will be able to say that...

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

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, that is exactly it. It has been a very open point of dispute between the board and the contractor on an ongoing basis.

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

Stephen Donnelly: I think three things are relevant to children being treated in this hospital. First, there was commitment to the commissioning teams going in early. That is something that had not been agreed and can accelerate the opening of this hospital, potentially by several months. That is important. I acknowledge that BAM has said it will facilitate this and make it happen. That had not been...

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

Stephen Donnelly: It is an extraordinary facility. I believe we need to keep a very clear focus on next year. If Royal BAM and BAM UK and Ireland can hand us the keys in June 2025, we have been consistently told by CHI that there is a minimum six-month commissioning phase. We are looking to accelerate some of that process. As the Deputy will appreciate, nobody can give a precise deadline, but I think we...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I do not think we should be going there. I think we need to keep the focus very much on 2025.

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

Stephen Donnelly: Well, they are telling us-----

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

Stephen Donnelly: I appreciate where the Deputy is coming from-----

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

Stephen Donnelly: -----but it is very important that we do not start talking about 2026. It is extremely important that we keep talking about 2025. Armies of people are on site and involved in commissioning to that effect. Just before I ask Mr. Lynch to come in on this, I wish to acknowledge the workers on site.