Results 141-160 of 1,060,647 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Máiría Cahill OR speaker:John Lahart OR speaker:David Cullinane OR speaker:Christopher O'Sullivan OR speaker:Joan Collins OR speaker:Stephen Donnelly OR speaker:Danny Healy-Rae OR speaker:Seán Crowe OR speaker:Mairead Farrell)

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

Stephen Donnelly: I will ask Mr. Tierney to come in with some of the detail in a moment. I would like to make two quick points in response to what the Cathaoirleach said. First, for children who are waiting on spinal care, be that outpatient appointments, diagnosis, surgery or aftercare, that care and sorting out what we need to do for those children are not contingent on this hospital opening. We have...

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

Seán Crowe: At some stage, maybe Mr. Tierney could provide the committee a note on it-----

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

Seán Crowe: -----because we are all worried. We do not want to see this repeated. In relation to the maternity hospital, will we see that built by the end of the decade?

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

Seán Crowe: Lastly, the last time the board was in, they were saying that they were withholding the 15% in relation to payment. Is that still in place following the board's substantive meeting with Royal BAM?

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

Seán Crowe: Has that not changed?

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

Seán Crowe: In relation to the baseline contract that the board kept coming back to in relation to that work schedule, is that what the board is waiting on now, coming back from BAM?

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

Seán Crowe: Is Ms Ross saying that could be a number of weeks or months?

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)

John Lahart: I made a comment and Senator Conway would have been hurt and taken back by it. It was off the cuff about Royal BAM being the room. I withdraw it. It was not intended. It was in the heat of the moment.

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

John Lahart: I was not suggesting that. It was an inappropriate comment and it was not intentional.

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)

Stephen Donnelly: I cannot speak for whether or not they were surprised. They did not hear anything that was not in public domain in terms of the Government's position but, obviously, as to whether they were surprised or not, only they can answer that.

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

Stephen Donnelly: Yes. The Royal BAM chief executive was there and he was accompanied by the chief executive or the general manager - whatever the title is - for BAM UK and Ireland and the chief operating officer for BAM UK and Ireland.

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

Stephen Donnelly: Rather than trying to characterise their position, what I have no hesitation in saying is that BAM disputes a lot of what we have all discussed. It would be unfair of me to suggest that BAM simply said that it was sorry about all that and it will try harder. It is clear from the interactions the board has had with BAM over a long period that BAM has its view and it is a different view to...

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

Stephen Donnelly: The decision to contact Royal BAM was one I took subsequent to the meeting, first, with Ms Ross, and then, second, with the full board, on the back of BAM signalling that it was moving out to a June deadline.

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

Stephen Donnelly: I do not know if there was any such suggestion. There may well have been. Minutes were taken at the meeting. I do not recall it. I can say that there was a very high level of frustration when I met the board. Ms Ross is the chair of the board. We might ask her for the board's view, if that is okay.

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

John Lahart: Was the board not concerned before this?

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

Stephen Donnelly: I cannot say what BAM's motivation is but the facts, as I see them, are we have very clear evidence, I believe, from the board, based on gate receipts, noting day by day, how many people are on site. We have very clear evidence, which BAM may dispute, but the evidence as I have seen it is very strong that the hospital project has been consistently and substantively under resourced. That is...

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

Stephen Donnelly: Does the Senator mean nationally across all of its projects?