Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 January 2026
106. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the latest expected completion date and opening date for the new Children’s Hospital; the number of claims in dispute before the Courts; and whether she will commit to publishing a monthly public progress report detailing the schedule, risks, costs and claims until opening. [5074/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraOpening the National Children’s Hospital Ireland (NCHI) is a Government priority. Everything possible is being done to ensure this world-class hospital will open as quickly as possible, on behalf of children, young people, and their families.
Work at the St James’s site is in its final stages. The project’s two satellite centres at Tallaght and Connolly Hospitals are open and delivering the new model of care for the Greater Dublin Area. On 19 December 2025, partial additional early access to the Level 6 Ward block area of the building was provided to Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) by BAM. This has enabled CHI to begin the deep cleaning of the area and begin bringing certain clinical equipment into the building. This access will allow CHI to derisk the onsite operational commissioning period, which commences following substantial completion.
It is for BAM, to commit to, and deliver substantial completion of the hospital. The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB), BAM and the Employer’s Representative-(ER) the independent third party responsible for administering the contract- are engaging on securing a compliant programme detailing how and when BAM will complete the building to the expected standards and hand it over in totality to the NPHDB.
The NPHDB is delivering the NCHI capital project under a modified PW-CF1 public works contract. Under the provisions of the public works contract, Contractors are entitled to submit claims for time and the true value of additional works. Equally the employer, in this case the NPHDB, is entitled and continues to robustly defend claims it considers to be without merit or to be inflated. The submission and management of claims will not impact the opening of the hospital.
Five claims have proceeded through the disputes process under the contract and are before the High Court. These disputes concern a frame claim (served in September 2025), a critical path conciliation, Level 7 steel, inflation regarding a critical path reconciliation (served in October 2025), and the Phase B instruction for BAM to begin the above ground works on the project.
The NPHDB provides a quarterly update on the NCHI capital project to the Committee of Public Accounts, in line with the ‘Update on the implementation of previous recommendations made by the Committee of Public Accounts to the NPHDB following the Committee’s engagements of 9 February and 13 July 2021’ and Minute of the Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform dated April 2022. This includes an update on the construction of the hospital, an update on early access, the substantial completion programme timeline and claims/adjustments, and legal disputes. The most recent update was provided by the NPHDB on 14 October 2025 and the NPHDB has advised that it expects to issue its next update to the Committee shortly.
While much focus has been on the challenges faced by the project, it is important to reiterate that once open, the NCHI will provide world class facilities to its patients. It will be transformational in how we treat and deliver care to children and their families, for decades to come.
