Aontú Deputy Leader Gemma Brolly has said the construction of the new Children’s Hospital in Belfast must be monitored intensely to ensure it is completed on time and within budget.
The East Derry representative said:
“The new Children’s Hospital is welcome, but costs have already risen from an initial £250m to more than two and a half times that with a 10-year delay to its build.
The £671m project, if that is the final cost, will be the 10th most expensive children’s hospital in the world, with a higher cost both per bed and by square foot than the much-delayed National Children’s Hospital in Dublin.
The fact that both projects share the same contractor, whilst not a cause for concern, highlights the need for the project board to keep a tight rein on spending, compensation events and completion dates.
The Children’s Hospital in Dublin is now massively over budget and delayed. The Belfast project, given the financial situation the Executive operates in, cannot afford the same situation to develop here.
We will look forward to 2030 when this new facility opens its doors, but in the meantime, we will demand rigorous monitoring of its progress.”
