Zwijnash schreef op 21 januari 2023 18:51:
Mr Gunning agreed that the value of 81% of the 1,314 claims made relates to the time extension for the hospital, but said it was still to be determined who is liable for the delays.
So if the hospital had been completed on time, we wouldn’t have attracted a lot of these claims,” Social Democrat co-leader and Kildare North TD Catherine Murphy asked.
“Or you could put it that the reason the claim exists is because the project is in delay,”
Mr Gunning added: “Who is liable for the delay is the question? Who is paying for it? Is it the NCH, the state or the contractor, and that’s what has to be determined.”
Mr Gunning also added: “There is no way that the claims will amount to €585 million. That is simply not going to happen.”
At the beginning of the appearance, Ms Murphy warned of a “worrying trend” of engagement after the committee didn’t get the documentation or opening statements as requested by the “reasonable” deadline of June 10 – a month after they were requested.
“Not only was the information not provided within the timeframe, despite the secretary following up on a number of occasions, the board waited until 10 June to respond and to say that the two requests were more appropriate to the Department than flagging that in May or liaising with the Department.”
The Board said it is aiming to complete the build as soon as possible, but that disruption caused by the Brexit deadlock, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine has slowed that timeline.
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