Children’s hospital now a sunken political cost

Good morning,

What’s another €500 million between friends? The news that the final(ish) bill for the national children’s hospital has now ballooned to €2.24 billion will not have many people reeling with shock. As our Health Editor Paul Cullen writes this morning, this is a project that started out with a price tag of €250 million. Cost inflation of €2 billion later, we have seen countless Dáil committee hearings, scornful expert reports, and an endless stream of newsprint admonishing the government, the board and the main contractor.

At this point, the political questions when it comes to the children’s hospital are: can things get any better for the Government? And can they get any worse?

The second one first: briefly, the answer is yes – but in all likelihood, not much. At some point, the last brick will be laid and several months later, the first patient will be accepted. The cost may creep up further, but the strong suspicion is that people are pretty numbed to that issue. This is not to say that the damage is not done, but it is a political as well as a literal sunken cost. Little will change the public perception of the hospital saga at this stage. But, barring some unforeseen scandal, delay or huge inflation of cost, there is a growing likelihood that the controversy over the hospital will at least begin to be seen as past tense.

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That doesn’t necessarily mean things will get better. The Coalition and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly (who of course didn’t initiate the project, nor even preside over the first years of scandal) will glean little credit from voters for delivering a project so comically delayed and over budget. The signifier effect of the whole thing as a cipher for political failings and State waste is now baked in. Depending on political events and construction timeframes, it could be taoiseach Mary Lou McDonald who presides over the opening of the gleaming new building in Dublin 8 – a final blow.

Elsewhere, the Government’s clear ratcheting up of the rhetoric on Israel continued on Tuesday, with an impassioned intervention from Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney on his way into Cabinet. The concern over an impending ground invasion of Rafah within the Coalition is palpable – although the refrain from the Opposition will continue to be that more deeds, not words, are needed from Dublin.

Will any of it make a difference? As one political insider sighed on Tuesday, a joint intervention from Joe Biden and King Abdullah of Jordan this week seemed relatively fruitless, so the chances of a doorstep interview in Dublin persuading Israel to change course seem pretty slim.

Best reads

Read Paul’s analysis of the children’s hospital story here: Will its 380 beds be enough when children’s hospital finally opens at stratospheric cost?

Anything to be said for another PAC hearing, Father? PAC wants to recall board members of children’s hospital over new estimate

Miriam Lord on Sinn Féin’s patchy transmission of its licence fee attack: Leo takes the shine off the Shinners

Janan Ganesh on how big ideas can leave key voters cold

Kathy Sheridan on gravy trains, flaming chainsaws and media complicity in the Trump effect

Playbook

Minister for Education Norma Foley is having a “social media summit” with tech firms – the likes of Meta, TikTok and Snap at 10am in the Department of Education.

Away from Leinster House, the High Court will continue to hear the case brought by Paul Murphy seeking to quash Sipo’s decision not to investigate allegations of a breach of the code of conduct by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

Eamon Ryan is out of the country at a meeting of the International Energy Association in Paris – expect to hear from him later in the day, as he is due to give a press conference with IEA director Fatih Birol.

Dáil

The day opens with topical issues before a Regional Group motion on small business costs. At midday Leaders’ Questions follows, then Questions on Policy or Legislation. Taoiseach’s Questions is at lunchtime, and Government business in the afternoon, including statements on recent developments in Northern Ireland. The Road Traffic and Coroners (Amendment) Bills continue Government business in the evening.

The full schedule is here.

Seanad

The Seanad sits from 11.30am and will consider legislation on the use of human tissue and the directly elected Mayor of Limerick in the afternoon. In the evening, Private Members’ time will be given over to the second stage of the Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill 2024, brought forward by Green Party Senators.

The full schedule is here.

Committees

Three committees – health, enterprise and social protection – kick the day off at 9.30am. The first two will hear from Ministers of State Neale Richmond and Hildegarde Naughton respectively, with officials at the latter to discuss energy poverty.

Also in the morning, Darragh O’Brien is in the housing committee to discuss the Planning and Development Bill.

In the afternoon, Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf is at the finance committee and Transport Infrastructure Ireland are in the transport committee. But the main draw will undoubtedly be RTÉ at the arts and media committee. The agriculture committee will hear from farmers’ groups on the nitrates directive at 5.30pm.

View the full schedule here.

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