79% of the budget for the National Children's Hospital has been spent so far.
It's expected the majority of the facility off the South Circular Road in Dublin will be completed by March 2024.
The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board is telling TDs and Senators today there's been significant progress in the last year - with the usual suspects causing delays - Covid, Brexit, and the war in Ukraine.
The final cost of the new National Children’s Hospital may not be known for years, according to the head of the development board.
The majority of the €1.4 billion euro budget has already been spent and the final cost is expected to go beyond that.
The project is running 17 months behind its original schedule.
An update on National Children’s Hospital:
- could be years before we know the final cost of the project. The total is expected to go beyond the €1.4bn budget.
- Construction is running 17 months behind schedule, could be Nov/Dec 2024 before it’s opened for use— Mairéad Cleary (@maireadcleary7) October 5, 2022
Chief Officer of the National Pediatric Hospital Development Board, David Gunning, said he couldn't give a final cost for the project:
"You know as we look at the program and the 17 months extension the additional costs will bring us beyond that particular amount and we are working very closely with our colleagues.
"I wouldn't like to qualify it with words which are ill-defined. There are going to be additional costs, and that will land when it lands."
