The overspend and the massive delay that exists in the national children's hospital exists because of the ill-defined, woolly confusion in that hospital contract. The contract for the national children's hospital was signed by the Taoiseach, Simon Harris, and it has proven to be a shambles. It has created an open chequebook for BAM. I have the bill of quantities for the tender for the national maternity hospital. It appears that the Government is again rushing to tender before the job is properly designed. It also appears that the bill of quantities for the national maternity hospital is as half-baked as the contract for the national children's hospital. I understand that there are only two companies now tendering for the mechanical elements of the national maternity hospital contract. It appears that the Government is heading for the same procurement car crash for the national maternity hospital that exists for the national children's hospital.

I thank the Deputy. The time is up.

The Government is incinerating taxpayers' money.

The time is up.

Will the Government review the tender process for the national maternity hospital, given the fiasco over the national children's hospital?

First, the question of definitive design has been raised in respect of the national children's hospital. The PwC report goes into considerable detail on errors and mistakes that were made at the time-----

They were signed off on.

-----in terms of the development of the national children's hospital and so on, and all of that. On the national maternity hospital, the delay was more on the political side in terms of getting that project off the ground.

That was your fault.

When you delay, you increase costs. We had a farcical debate in here on that question for far too long.

That is a different question.

It is relevant to costs, and the increased costs.

The question is about the bill of quantities.

It is ridiculous to suggest that politicians now have to oversee every bill of quantity in respect of every hospital that is going to be built.

They must make sure it is done right.

That is just ridiculous. Are we really going to get into the operational issues pertaining to the building of a hospital or a school?

We are out of time now.

We have systems and procedures.

They are not working.

We will change the procedures and the systems.

Not in this contract.

The idea that I will revise-----

The time is up.

-----the bill of quantities is just farcical. In my humble opinion, the agencies responsible need to do their job. They need to do it properly and effectively.

The buck stops with the Minister.

We have procedures here where we try to stick to a minute but nobody is paying any attention.

I apologise.