Health minister says BAM has 'clear responsibility' to ensure National Children's Hospital is up to standard

Public Accounts Committee chair John Brady said Jennifer Carroll MacNeill cannot continue to 'deflect responsibility by simply blaming BAM every time a new issue emerges'

The NPHDB said BAM is responsible for ensuring all 'quality standards and compliance are met' across all aspects of the National Children's Hospital.

Further delays to the handover of the National Children’s Hospital have been lambasted by opposition TDs, but the health minister insisted the project must be completed to standard.

Fresh concerns about the project emerged earlier this week after confirmation there are issues around the fire safety certification of toilet pods in the hospital.

The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) confirmed there are compliance concerns with the bathroom pods.

“BAM is now undertaking testing to demonstrate the compliance of the bathroom pods. If BAM is unable to demonstrate compliance with the standards set out in the works requirements, it will be required to submit and action appropriate remedial works,” the board said.

It is expected to add further delays to the project, with the handover date of August 31 set to be missed.

A spokesperson for health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said BAM has a “clear responsibility” to ensure the hospital complies with building regulations and contract requirement.

“We will not take it at anything less than the standard it needs to be,” the spokesperson said.

The NPHDB said BAM is responsible for ensuring all “quality standards and compliance are met” across all aspects of the National Children's Hospital.

Final stages of certification

A spokesperson for BAM said the project is in its final stages of certification and commissioning.

“During this phase of a project of this scale and complexity, it is routine for contractors to work closely with the design team to address technical queries when they arise, including by providing additional documentation, evidence, or testing to support the certification process where required,” the spokesperson said.

“The specification, selection, and approval of products and systems, including the bathroom pods, involves multiple parties throughout the project, including the NPHDB and their design team, and forms part of the overall design, review, and certification process.”

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chair John Brady said the delay over fire safety concerns is “deeply concerning”.

“After weeks of delay following the last completion deadline being missed, an updated timeline of the end of August was recently set. But it now appears that this revised schedule is already at risk of being missed,” Mr Brady said.

“That is simply unacceptable for a project that has already suffered unprecedented delays and spiralling costs.”

Mr Brady said Ms Carroll MacNeill cannot continue to “deflect responsibility by simply blaming BAM every time a new issue emerges”.

“The public don't want ongoing wars of words between the minister and contractors,” he added.

Labour’s health spokesperson, Marie Sherlock, said she was alarmed at the fire safety issue, saying it could be “painstaking” to resolve.

“I suppose it just adds to our enormous sense of frustration about how this project has been handled,” Ms Sherlock said.

Social Democrats' health spokesperson, Pádraig Rice, said the project had continuously been beset by delays, describing it as the “most botched capital project in the State”.

• Tadgh McNally is a Political Reporter with the Irish Examiner.