Results 41-60 of 1,067,498 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Mick Barry OR speaker:James Browne OR speaker:Jan O'Sullivan OR speaker:Aindrias Moynihan OR speaker:Jack Chambers OR speaker:Bernard Durkan OR speaker:Thomas Byrne OR speaker:James O'Connor OR speaker:Sorca Clarke OR speaker:Robert Troy OR speaker:Pa Daly OR speaker:David Cullinane OR speaker:Seán Crowe)

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

Seán Crowe: I thank Ms Ross. I propose we take a comfort break for-----

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

Seán Crowe: As a committee, we have never formally discussed any requests about meeting with BAM or not in relation to that. I propose we take a break for five minutes. Is that agreed? Agreed.

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

Seán Crowe: I call Senator Kyne, who will lead us off.

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)

Seán Crowe: We will do seven-minute slots because everyone wants to come back in on this.

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...

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

David Cullinane: Ultimately, any of these claims may well end up in the court. It could be the High Court that decides this claim or any others if they are not resolved. Neither the Minister, Ms Ross, Mr. Tierney nor can guarantee what a court is going to do. If the matter goes to court and there is about €800 million in claims involved, it is conceivably possible or probable, given the...

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

David Cullinane: My question is more straightforward. Hypothetically, the matter could go to court and there could be a judgment. We do not know what the amount involved might be. How can the Minister guarantee that it will not go above €2.2 billion? Surely it is impossible to say because it is out of his hands, my hands or anybody else's hands.