Sinn Fein: Hospital Overspend Report Highlights Ministerial Failures

A Sinn Fein TD has said the publication of the PwC report into the cost overruns of the National Children's Hospital documents a series of "damning failures", from development boardroom level to Ministerial office.

Health Spokesperson Louise O'Reilly TD said the project should be progressed under the management of a different Health Minister after the report revealed the final cost will exceed €1.73 billion.

"What the report clearly shows is that this process has been flawed and hamstrung from the beginning," she commented. "It shows mistakes and failures at every turn of the project and illustrates how the government pursued a risky and untested two-stage procurement strategy, which was known to have grave risks of cost escalation, with its single advantage being a somewhat quicker finish and an opportunity for a Fine Gael minister to cut a ribbon early.

"The report highlights significant issues with governance and oversight and points to the serious matter of non-compliance with The Public Service Spending Code, which requires immediate government investigation.

"While there is much information in the report it raises a lot of questions about the future of the project, and the ability of the development board alongside the Minister for Health to navigate the project through future risks and deliver it within the current expected budget of €1.7bn.

"Unfortunately, these players have all proved time and time again to be unable to navigate risk previously on this project and are responsible for the €450m overrun.

"Indeed, in the classification of cost impacts the report outlines how 65% of the overrun was a result of 'underestimation' and issues which 'should have been identified'." 



(JG/CM)