The Department of Health considered plans to deferring parts of the new national children’s hospital including the helipad, outsourcing the kitchen and part of the pathology department, to save money due to cost overruns. Documents seen by The Irish Times show the department asked the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board to provide a report on options around deferring parts of the hospital in order to cut back on the cost overrun. It would also require one of the existing children’s hospitals to remain open at a cost of €169 million. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said last week he has confidence in Mr Harris, who has defended his handling of the overrun on the project amid criticism from the Opposition. “I have every confidence in Mr Harris but obviously I am not going to pre-empt what he is going to say in the Dáil,” the Taoiseach said.

Source: The Irish Times February 11, 2019 15:56 UTC