The children of Ireland need a national children’s hospital. It is an essential piece of infrastructure. Families’ hopes are on this hospital opening its doors and providing the state-of-the-art healthcare their children need. We all want to see this hospital opened without further delay. The project has been mismanaged from the start. It is already cited as the most expensive hospital in the world. Its opening has been pushed back time and time again.

Today, The Irish Times reports on information obtained by my colleague Deputy Cullinane. We have discovered that there is a major problem with no fewer than 11 operating theatres at the hospital. These problems were known to the board in May 2022, 13 months ago. The board has admitted these facts today. Remarkably, it took the board more than a full year to respond to this situation despite further warnings in November of last year.

I will quote from the report of an independent expert appointed by Children’s Health Ireland that the board received in November of last year on these matters. I ask the Taoiseach to listen carefully because the report sets out the seriousness of what it calls major generic faults, saying:

These are not snagging lists but rather indicative of major generic faults and non-compliances. The longer that these issues take to get resolved, the more expensive and time consuming it will become.

It goes on to say, “If the present approach ... is not corrected, the systems will fail the final validation and will not be fit to be taken into use.” Indeed, these independent experts expressed huge disappointment that no action had been taken since these major generic faults had been brought to the attention of the board months earlier. As a result of the failure to act, I can only assume that these theatres failed the quality checks in March of this year. I would like the Taoiseach to clarify that matter today.

Despite all the warnings, a process to work out how to fix these major generic faults is only now being put in place, more than a full year after they came to light. The Minister has today acknowledged that the hospital will not now open in March 2024 as promised. Children and families wait and wait while vast sums of taxpayers’ money is spent with carelessness by a Government that is asleep at the wheel. Tá ospidéal náisiúnta na leanaí riachtanach do theaghlaigh ar fud na tíre. Theip ar an Rialtas ceannaireacht agus maoirseacht a thaispeáint. Ba é an t-ospidéal is costasaí ar domhan cheana féin. Anois, de bharr lochtanna móra, feicfimid costais ag ardú arís agus tá moill ar oscailt an ospidéil.

This is not the first time that we have had such problems with this hospital. Massive cost overruns, massive delays and a lack of transparency have become synonymous with this project, as has massive disappointment for children and their families. The Taoiseach has said in the past that lessons would be learned but it is clear that this is not the case.

Lessons have not been learned. Indeed, this morning, I heard the Taoiseach quoted as saying that he is satisfied with the board’s response to the matters that I have set out. I have to say that the independent experts do not share the Taoiseach's view. The board knew all about these serious problems as far back as May 2022, 13 months ago. When did the Taoiseach find out?

The new national children's hospital will transform healthcare for children on our island. Elements of it are already open, including the ambulatory care centres in Blanchardstown and Tallaght. People who have taken their kids there will know quite how good healthcare can be when we have modern facilities. The main building has been under construction for quite some time, next to St. James's Hospital. We anticipate that it will be completed and handed over next year, and will be commissioned in the months after that. Contrary to reports in some headlines this morning, work on the new children's hospital has not stopped or paused. I am advised that the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, NPHDB, which is the State body charged with building the new hospital, is undertaking a review relating to 11 of the 22 theatres. As we all know, theatres are critically important rooms. That is why it is important for the NPHDB to check and correct any potential deviations from plans. There can be no suggestion that any additional work on these 11 theatres, should it even be needed, could have any effect on the completion or opening of the hospital. Any works, if needed, can be done in parallel.

This review is par for the course in construction, and no different from several reviews to investigate more significant changes in design proposed by the main contractor across the project. The NPHDB informs me that the review is not indicative of any wider design issues. The reality is that no works have been asked for, so it is unclear how they could possibly be costed or scheduled. The NPHDB and the employers' representatives have been engaging with the contractor for months, seeking a programme outlining how it will successfully complete the final 20% of the hospital. This has not been forthcoming. The Government believes this is an unhelpful distraction, aimed at shifting the focus from the contractor and its responsibilities to others.

To answer the Deputy's question, I was first informed of this matter this morning. I am not sure if what she is informing me of is even accurate. It is disputed by the board. I would like to know from the Deputy who these independent experts are that she has referred to. Has she checked that they are independent experts? What is the source of these allegations that she has put on the record of the Dáil?

The Taoiseach might answer my question on whether these 11 theatres complied with or failed the validation test in March. That is an important question and I would like him to answer it. These are 11 theatres, not 11 rooms. They are not cloakrooms; they are operating theatres. We are talking about 11 theatres. That is 50% of the theatre capacity of this state-of-the-art hospital. Did they or did they not fail validation in March? Can the Taoiseach answer that question? I find it extraordinary that he only became aware of these matters today. These matters were known to the board more than 12 months ago. The independent experts are independent and expert. They were appointed by Children's Health Ireland. They were very clear in May 2022, and again in November, that there were serious generic faults - not minor matters or snagging list issues. There were major faults, and yet the board did not act and this situation was allowed to drift. Here we find ourselves now with a very serious situation that will no doubt be costly and no doubt will extend the delay. Can the Taoiseach give me a more fulsome and, frankly, a less ridiculous answer to the questions I have put to him?

I do not know if a validation exercise was carried out in March, but I do know that snagging and checking-----

Well, I do. I have the documents here.

-----is par for the course in any construction project.

It is not snagging.

The Deputy has not told me who the independent experts are. If she would give me the copy of the report, I would welcome that. Like I say, this is-----

You have to get this from me.

-----something that we have only heard about, as a Government, today.

Wow.

If the Deputy has this independent expert report, I would be happy to receive a copy so that we can verify whether the claims she is making, here in the Dáil, are true.

There is no point in being facile about these things. An operating theatre is a room. In the US they call them operating rooms and emergency rooms. Let us be a bit grown up about these things.

I do not think the Taoiseach has been briefed. This will come back to haunt the Government.