Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
LAST UPDATE | 4 Sep
THE ROW OVER the continuous delay to the opening of the New Children’s Hospital has reignited today after Minister for Health Jennifer Caroll MacNeill told reporters that they should “ask BAM”, the contractor, what the new opening date will be.
The Fine Gael TD said that the construction company has “made commitments to the Irish state” and must deliver on those commitments, adding that she believes that the project is a “massive thing” for the firm’s reputation.
Carroll MacNeill today said she would “very much like to have the hospital now from BAM”.
“As they say, it is 99% complete, so it really shouldn’t be a difficulty for them to get enough contractors on site and to finish it out in a logical and sequential way that enables us the access that we need to be able to put things like beds in it, to be able to start testing labs, to be able to do all of the work that we need to do to commission a hospital of that size,” she further said.
Carroll MacNeill told The Journal today that she and HSE CEO Bernard Gloster met with Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) two weeks ago and that they would be meeting them again on Tuesday to see their preparation.
“There’s an enormous amount of work done. There’s also an enormous amount of work yet to do, but a big part of that is being able to physically get access to the hospital,” she said.
“It really is imperative that BAM make sure that they’re taking every step that is within their power to take and to make sure that they make the commitments that they have made to the Irish state.”
Carroll MacNeill said the project is “a massive thing for them reputationally, both domestically and more globally”.
“I think it’s really important that the Irish government articulate that on behalf of the Irish state, on behalf of the Irish taxpayer who entered into an agreement, who have made money available to BAM, gone into contractual commitments, and we need to make sure that that’s delivered on behalf of the Irish state,” she added.
A BAM Ireland spokesman said the project more than 99% complete. “Due to the specialist nature of the commissioning work currently underway at this late stage, it is entirely normal that there are fewer personnel on site compared to this time last year.”
The spokesperson said that despite a commitment last year from the previous minister Stephen Donnelly that there would be no further design changes “there have been 84 new and revised design changes”.
“The majority of the remaining work on the project relates to these changes, for which BAM has not received payment. As a result, BAM has been obliged to initiate the contract’s dispute resolution mechanism to secure appropriate compensation.”
Large areas of the hospital have been completed since early July and offered for early access, BAM said. The company remains committed to achieving the earliest possible opening date, the company added.
“We would be delighted to welcome Minister Carroll MacNeill to the hospital to see the significant progress first-hand.”
The hospital was originally scheduled to be completed in 2020 with a budget of €650 million. The bill has spiralled, and the hospital has been delayed on 15 occasions.
BAM has come under fire repeatedly over the last number of years over the massively increasing cost of constructing the hospital and the many delays.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB), the group appointed in 2013 to design, build and equip the new children’s hospital, contested BAM’s interpretation of the current impasse.
They say the snag list is the much larger job of work, compared with the changes it has requested.
“To date no room in the hospital has been determined as completed to the contract standard,” they said.
“There is a structured and controlled process in place, which is set out in the contract, that determines the completion of rooms and areas within the hospital. BAM does not have the contractual authority to declare areas complete.”
According to the spokesperson, over the past year BAM has offered about 5,000 of the 5,800 hospital rooms for inspection by the design team.
That team says it identified 60,000 snags during that process. About 40% of the snags relate to building compliance regulations, they said.
However, the spokesperson also conceded that there have been change orders given to BAM since September 2004 as part of the same room inspection process.
“BAM is paid additional money over and above the contract to resource these changes,” they said, adding that the alterations are ‘minor, localised and impact less than 4% of the rooms’.
The NPHDB also accused BAM of shifting its “anticipated Substantial Completion date 16 times over the last 5 years”.
Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice, who is the party’s health spokesperson, said that Carroll MacNeill cannot “lay all blame for this debacle at the feet of the contractor.”
“This and previous governments involving the Minister’s own Fine Gael party must also be held to account for the botched handling of this project, which is set to cost taxpayers over €2.24 billion, with no certainty on the final price tag,” Rice said.
It is the Minister’s job to deliver this hospital and, instead of ducking and diving, she must answer questions about when it will open.
“The Minister cannot act as a casual bystander as yet another deadline for handing over the completed building to Children’s Health Ireland is missed.
“Ultimately, it is her department that is responsible for ensuring this hospital is delivered on time and within budget – something it has spectacularly failed to achieve.”
* With reporting from Jane Moore.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say