Tánaiste: Hospital delays an attempt by contractor to extract 'more money from the Irish people'

Micheál Martin said the blame for the shifting completion date and the rising cost of the construction lay with BAM and not the Government

It emerged this week the hospital will not begin admitting patients until August 2025 at the earliest, although this date could not be guaranteed by BAM.

The Tánaiste has said the ongoing delays in relation to the National Children's Hospital are part of a strategy by the hospital contractor to "extract more funding and more money from the Irish people".

Micheál Martin told the Dáil he would not "take the bait" on the issue, saying the Government would ensure the taxpayer gets value for money while delivering the completed hospital as quickly as possible.