Results 1-20 of 1,053,462 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Peadar Tóibín OR speaker:Francis Noel Duffy OR speaker:Peter Fitzpatrick OR speaker:Anne Rabbitte OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:David Cullinane)

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

David Cullinane: Members of the board were in before us last June and again last week, updating us on progress, or rather the lack of progress, in completing the children's hospital. I want to put on the record what they said to us last week, which I assume the Minister accepts. They said that in the last four years the main contractor, BAM, has shifted its completion date 14 times. Is that correct?

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

David Cullinane: They also said that in the last 12 months alone, BAM has shifted its substantial completion date four times, pushing it out by a total of eight months. Does the Minister agree with that?

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

David Cullinane: They also said that in 2019 BAM committed to 1,700 so-called "productive operatives" - I am presuming they were talking about feet on the ground or human resources - to complete the project. However, on average since 2022, there have been about 774 productive operatives on site and the highest or peak that it reached was 1,260. Essentially, as the Minister just said in simple terms, BAM is...

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

David Cullinane: They also said that since September 2023, BAM has, on average, achieved 64% of its planned progress. In fact, when they were before the Oireachtas committee last year, they said it was 67% so what they were telling us last week was pretty much the same information. They also told us that of the 3,128 rooms which BAM has submitted as complete to its standard, none were completed to the...

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

David Cullinane: Okay but it was slightly less than €500 million. The Minister was the Minister for Health during all of that so when he paints the picture of four years, of 14 completion dates that have come and gone, four times over the last 12 months where BAM has missed its completion date, not providing the human resources to get the project done, no room of standard that is complete, and...

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

David Cullinane: So it was in the last week. I do not need the exact date.

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

David Cullinane: Okay, this was a number of weeks ago.

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

David Cullinane: When the Minister met them did he put it to them that they had missed their completion date 14 times, and four times in the last 12 months?

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

David Cullinane: Did they accept that?

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

David Cullinane: Did the Minister put it to them that they committed to 1,700 productive operatives but, according to the board, that they only provided, on average, 774? Essentially, the board and the Minister have been telling us that BAM is not committing the resources and this is why the completion dates have been missed. Did BAM accept, when the Minister met them last week, that it was the case they...

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

David Cullinane: But why not? The Minister went to great lengths to write to his Cabinet colleagues. I am not sure what the value was of doing that but the Minister sent a letter to his Cabinet colleagues, and while the Minister may not have used this language it was reported by the media as BAM holding the country to ransom. Those were the headlines coming out. The Minister did meet with the parent...

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

David Cullinane: The second figure we have, again according to the board, was that since last September 2023 BAM has on average achieved 64% of its plan. Did the Minister put this to the parent company?

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

David Cullinane: I accept that, but I am also hearing from the Minister that they certainly were not agreeing with what the board was saying about BAM not fully resourcing the project. If BAM are not even prepared to accept the facts the board has presented to us, then how can I, the Minister, or anybody else on this committee have any confidence in what they are now telling us, which is that they will still...

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

David Cullinane: Perhaps I could just come back in. This project strikes to the heart of the credibility of the State in relation to how it funds and delivers big projects. There have been acres of coverage on this children's hospital and all of its failures. My focus is on getting the hospital built. I want it built for children. I publicly called on the contractor to do what is right and resource the...

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

David Cullinane: It told us that 16 months ago.

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

David Cullinane: I held on for a long time.

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

David Cullinane: The Minister does not need to hide behind the chair of the board. People will make up their own minds on his performance. I will leave it there. It was not appropriate to ask the chair essentially to answer a charge that I believe stands up or to cover the Minister's back.

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

David Cullinane: It was for the Minister to answer.

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

David Cullinane: My charge was that the Minister did not meet the contractor over the course of two years, which he did not.

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...