It cannot be too long before students of management or public administration fill libraries with how-could-this-happen dissertations on the national children’s hospital.

The chairman of the board overseeing the construction of the national children's hospital has admitted that the final costs for its build are unknown.

The Department of Health has admitted that no minutes were taken at a recent meeting between the Health Minister and the chairman of the board overseeing the country’s largest infrastructural project, the new €1.7bn children’s hospital.

The Finance Minister has refused to give a commitment that the new National Children's Hospital will not tip over the €2 billion mark.

The Government has given a "blank cheque" to the children's hospital which risks seeing the project's "monopoly money" spending surge past €2bn, TDs have warned.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been urged to "guarantee" the cost of the new children's hospital will not exceed €2bn after the project's board admitted the full price will not be known until construction work is completed.

An opposition TD has called for "full transparency" on the latest children's hospital costs after claiming the amount of money involved has "escalated even further in the past six months".

The HSE has warned that the project is facing delays which could affect critical timelines.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney has insisted “magic money” is not being used to pay for overruns for the children's hospital while pledging that cash will be found to fund the project.

Social Democrats co-leader Roisin Shortall has said that she believes the cost of building the National Children's Hospital will eventually reach €2bn.

More than €1m has been paid to a communications company managing publicity for the National Children’s Hospital, it has emerged.

Further cost overruns during the development of the national children’s hospital are "highly likely", an Oireachtas committee has been told.

The Chair of the board overseeing the new National Children's Hospital is warning the project's costs could rise even further.

The building frame of the new National Children's Hospital is now under construction as controversy continues over the projected cost of the project.

The developers of the National Children’s Hospital have submitted claims for additional costs worth some €12m since February.

Fianna Fáil has hit out at the Government for now spending almost €10bn on three projects that are all billions over budget.

A Sinn Féin TD has said a lot of people will be angry over the news that a private clinic will be built on the site of the new National Children's Hospital in Dublin.

Public Accounts Committee members blasted the use of the firm to advise health chiefs about the build and then to later assess problems over escalating costs for the project.

The children’s hospital crisis and revelations the project will cost at least €1.7bn has been branded “a fucking joke” by a TD during a Dáil debate which has led to yet more questions over the future of the facility.

The Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has accused Simon Harris of not being on top of the Health brief.

Failure to construct a maternity hospital alongside the new €1.7bn children's hospital on the St James's Hospital (SJH) campus in Dublin would “be a financial and medical catastrophe”.

Health Minister Simon Harris has steered clear of criticising the main oversight bodies involved in the new children’s hospital project for massive cost overruns - instead pointing the finger of blame at professional advisory firms.

The Minister for Health has told an Oireachtas committee that he is willing to do whatever it takes to strengthen the governance of the National Children's Hospital.

It is estimated that a further €293m will be needed for the National Children’s Hospital's completion, bringing the total cost to almost €1.73bn, with PwC saying that, unless a number of ‘risk areas’ are addressed, the price could shoot up further.

The report into cost overruns at the National Children's Hospital has been published by the government.

There are “no significant savings to be had” that will affect the headline €1.43bn cost of the new national children’s hospital, the new project leader told the Oireachtas health committee.

The head of the board that oversees the building of the National Children's Hospital will be questioned by TDs and Senators later about the project's spiralling cost.

The deepening children's hospital financial crisis means the Government should no longer accept "guesstimates" on final costs of State projects, senior officials have said.

Fees paid to consultancy firms hired to advise the government on high profile projects will be linked to clear performance standards in a series of reforms to strengthen management of capital projects.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has described his own government's mishandling of the National Children's Hospital as a “debacle”.

Robert Watt has been accused by Fianna Fail's Marc Mac Sharry of giving two fingers to the Public Accounts Committee.

The senior civil servant who Government says failed to reveal the children's hospital budget crisis, despite sitting on its board, will snub a planned public grilling on the scandal.

To put the much-hyped world class Childrens’ hospital overspend and wastage into perspective, all one has to do is a simple sum.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was admitted that it is “scandalous” that the Government and its agents “got it so wrong” in terms of the cost of the national children’s hospital.

The Government's Chief Procurement Officer has confirmed he did not inform Minister Paschal Donohoe or his Secretary General about the cost escalations at the Children's Hospital, even though he sat on its board.

The National Children’s Hospital board and top Department of Health officials are to be called to answer further questions on a €450m overspend at the Public Accounts Committee.