The Aontú leader said: “More missed deadlines, more delays and a money-pit of a children’s hospital – and still no-one can say when it will be built. There must be public accountability in the form of an inquiry.”
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said there needs to be a public investigation into the catastrophic failures of the project, that’s going on now for almost 20 years and is once again delayed.
Said Tóibín: “The hospital should have been completed this week. It should have been a momentous day.
“But another finishing date was missed yesterday. Yet again, it’s not ready. No one can say when the hospital will be delivered.
“The Public Accounts Committee heard it’s unlikely to be before the end of this year.”
The Meath TD said: “It has been ongoing through seven Health Ministers, and a generation of children who should have used it, have timed out of it. Its costs have spiralled from €650million to €2.2billion.
“It’s dragged on so long that children who could have used it are now adults. They’re wondering if their own children will even get to use it.
“We heard how there are 106,500 defects that still have to be addressed.
“All of this is shocking. Where are the contractual controls? Where are the contractual penalties to ensure that work is done? People are aghast at the delays and the spiralling costs.
“It is imperative we learn from this financial omnishambles. There must be a public investigation into the inherent weaknesses of this contract and why the Tánaiste signed it.”
