Results 61-80 of 1,077,263 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Dara Calleary OR speaker:Stephen Donnelly OR speaker:Joe Flaherty OR speaker:Seán Fleming OR speaker:Alan Kelly OR speaker:Chris Andrews OR speaker:Mairead Farrell OR speaker:Peter Fitzpatrick) in 'Committee meetings'
- 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.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: Even though the project may be resourced at what we believe is half what it should be, nonetheless, a large number of very dedicated people are working day and night to build what looks like will be the finest children's hospital in the world. What an extraordinary thing that is for a little country like us to be saying. Those workers have been building the hospital in the context of huge...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: -----and it is not their fault. I thank the Chair for his latitude on the time, so I acknowledge the women and men working on that site day in and day out, in winter and summer and in rain, hail, sleet and snow. I thank them for the work they are doing. They have been building this incredible facility for our nation and they have been doing it in a context where all they hear about,...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: They really have been working very hard. It is not the fault of anyone on site-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: -----that the resourcing has not been where we want it to be. I acknowledge that fact. If the Chair is happy, I ask Mr. Lynch to come in on the issue of the commissioning and to provide some detail in this regard.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: I thank Senator Conway for that. I will ask Mr. Lynch to come in with some of the detail but at a high level-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: Okay, I will give the Senator the high level detail and then I might come back to Mr. Lynch regarding the likely time saved. There is an area in the hospital which they call the hot block. This is the laboratories, emergency department, theatres and intensive care floor. For obvious reasons, this is where an awful lot of the time has to be spent. The clear view is that it is on the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: It is not possible to say if it will be Friday, Friday week or Friday fortnight.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: I want to give BAM Ireland and UK, Royal BAM Group and the board the space they need to come back with a proposal that everybody can stand over. It would not be helpful at this point to say that it will be Friday week or Friday fortnight or to give a specific date.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: I do not believe we have a couple of months.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: This has to be done urgently.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: If I could be so bold, and apologies if I am overstepping here, it is not helpful for Members of the Oireachtas to state that we will be paying the contractor more money than the Government has already stated. It does not help the taxpayer for Members of the Oireachtas to essentially throw more money on the table.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: Apologies, Senator, but-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: All of the structural design and the things that really cost the large sums of money are done. We are in a snagging phase right now.