Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 November 2020
188. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the extent of the drawdown of approved spending to date by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board; the estimated scheduling of outstanding moneys within the original approved envelope; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39163/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Paediatric Hospital Development Board has statutory responsibility for planning, designing, building and equipping the new children's hospital.
Since the commencement of the National Children’s Hospital construction a total of €555.86m has been drawn down for ongoing works on the project.
At the start of 2020, an estimated €315m expenditure was anticipated for the year. However, the stoppage of planned construction work due to the impact of Covid-19, has resulted in a lower than originally planned drawdown for the NCH projects. In 2020, €118.8m has been drawn down. This is €166m less than the pre-Covid anticipated drawdown for the year to date. Funding is only provided for incurred expenditure, and there will therefore be an underspend on the project in 2020.
A revised cash-flow profile has recently been received from the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, and the HSE Capital Plan has been adjusted accordingly. The NPHDB is also working on a project update to take account of the impact of the delay experienced on the project to date, including that related to Covid and this will have an impact on future cash flow.
