Health officials knew of Children's Hospital overrun a month before Budget

Health officials were told in September last year - a month before the Budget - of a possible €400m overrun at the National Children's Hospital.

Health officials were told in September last year of a possible €400m overrun at the National Children's Hospital.

The Government has consistently said it was only made aware of the final €450m overrun in November 2018 - a month after the Budget.

However, newly released minutes from the Children’s Hospital Project and Programme Board meeting in September show Department of Health and HSE officials were told then about possible cost overruns of €391m.

The minutes show the top civil servant in the Department of Health raised "significant concern" about the cost of the project.

The board was informed construction was €191m over previous estimates. It was also told the main contractor had submitted €200m more in additional cost claims.

Sitting on that board were Department of Health Secretary General Jim Breslin and then acting HSE Director General John Connaghan.

However, it was another seven weeks before the Government says it was made aware of the final overrun figure of €450m.

Health Minister Simon Harris has said he knew of overruns from August 2018, but did not know the scale of them, and has defended not informing the Taoiseach and Finance Minister until he had a final figure in November.

However, today's revelation shows Minister Harris' top civil servant in the Department was aware of the €391m figure long before that - with overrun concerns raised by the board as early as June last year.

Children's Minister Katherine Zappone has said if it was an official in her own Department, she would expect to have been informed of the overrun.

"If my Secretary General knew of a cost overrun, knew exactly what it was, and waited a couple of months (to tell me), then yes I would have questions in relation to that (and) would not be satisfied with that. As I understand what the Ministers have said, that was not the case in this regard."

The news comes as it was confirmed that the Public Accounts Committee will ask the head of the Department of Public Expenditure as well as one of its top officials to answer questions about the spiralling costs for the

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