McGrath calls for urgent update on  Children's Hospital

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform recently wrote to Stephen Donnelly to express his 'concerns' over stalled progress

The Minister for Health was delivered a rebuke by his own Cabinet and party colleague over the delayed progress of the new National Children’s Hospital.

Michael McGrath, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, recently wrote to Stephen Donnelly to express his “concerns” over the stalled progress of the €1.7bn hospital.

The project, which has been in gestation since 2015, is expected to be delivered at least four years late in 2024, while clarity regarding its inflated budget has yet to be delivered by the National Paediatric Health Development Board.

On February 4, Mr McGrath told Mr Donnelly that the Government had been awaiting a “definitive update” on the project since the previous July in order to chart “a decisive way forward for this crucial project”.

He said the fact that update had yet to be delivered “gives cause for concern”, while clarity is now “urgently required”.

Last month, chair of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) David Gunning told the Public Accounts Committee that clarity regarding the hospital’s budget would be delivered this month following a full audit of the project by the Department of Health.

10 months behind schedule

He said that the build is currently 10 months behind schedule and that the “obvious conclusion” is that the hospital won’t be ready before early to mid 2024.

In his letter, Mr McGrath said that the resignation of the NPHDB’s previous chair Fred Barry in January had served to bring the “matter into sharp focus”. 

He said that he was “concerned” to learn that there are currently five vacancies on the board and that such a state of affairs “must be impacting on the ability of the board to function at the required level and should be addressed urgently”.

He said that while responsibility for the hospital ultimately lies with the minister and his department, as minister for public finances he wished to be kept “fully up-to-date” on the ongoing monitoring of the project.

Mr McGrath requested that a memorandum be brought to Government “as soon as possible” establishing the project costs and a “realistic” time of delivery.

He stressed further that he is “anxious to hear” of how high standards of paediatric care will be maintained should the project be delayed even further.