Leo Varadkar, the Taoiseach, informed the Dáil that the government “will not be allocating any more” and that the maximum funding allotted for the National Children’s Hospital’s completion is €2.2 billion, reports RTE.
It follows the announcement this morning to Cabinet by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly that the hospital’s cost has grown to €2.24 billion, an increase of more than €512 million.
This includes an additional €360 million for the integration and transfer of services to the hospital, on top of the €1.88 billion for design, construction, and equipping, reports RTE.
Mr. Varadkar stated that the hospital would be “comparable if not superior” to hospitals around the European Union and that work will be finished “later this year” and that it will open and begin serving patients “next year.”
In response to Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, who called the estimated cost of €2.2 billion “staggering” and said she had “no confidence” that this would be the ultimate cost, the Taoiseach made his statement.
Stephen Donnelly stated previously on RTÉ’s News at One that “in the lifetime of this Government, there will be no memo seeking additional funding” and that the revised total cost included the €40 million approved in December, reports RTE.
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