Micheál Martin accuses contractor of National Children’s Hospital of ‘delaying’ completion to ‘extract more money’ in Dáil

He claimed at Leinster House that main contractors BAM had not resourced the hospital site adequately for some time and was "delaying" completion of the project.

Availing of Dáil privilege, Mr Martin said the various deadlines set by BAM were "likely to be part of a commercial strategy by BAM to try and extract more money and more funding from the Irish people."

He called on the contractor to resource the site "adequately and comprehensively to enable this hospital to be completed as fast as we possibly can."

But he was told by Sinn Féin that the NCH project has been "a slow-moving car crash since day one" and Health ministers have been asleep at the wheel, the Dáil was told today.

Pearse Doherty of Sinn Féin reminded the Tánaiste that Leo Varadkar had said many years ago that "short of an asteroid hitting the planet," the National Children's Hospital would be built by 2020.

The safe bet now was that the hospital would not be operational before 2026, he said.

Meanwhile the Taoiseach had given repeated assurances to child scoliosis patients that they would not have to wait more than four months.

"Not one person is being held accountable for this fiasco, with billions of euro of taxpayers' money being squandered," Mr Doherty said.

The minister for health had "not once" met the hospital board last year, Mr Doherty said. "That's how incompetent this Government is."

He asked the Government to take responsibility for the bungling, but Micheál Martin warned him not to be "a pawn."

He suggested Mr Doherty not "take the bait" about hundreds of millions being submitted in claims. There had been a very robust and tenacious by the hospital board over them, he said.

In relation to €75 million claimed in additional costs, the arbitration had reduced this amount to €22.8 million, he said.

Mr Martin said the "bottom line is that BAM has not resourced this project sufficiently for quite some time."

He called on the contractor to resource the site "adequately and comprehensively to enable this hospital to be completed as fast as we possibly can."

The Government was being fair, but it was not saying "finish this at any cost," Mr Martin said.

"The contractor has been delaying, and hoping that there would be this kind of pressure in Dáil Eireann to yield (to additional claims."

The FF leader said he believed the Dáil should back the Government in being "resolute" with the contractor.