New Children’s Hospital: 106,500 Defects, No Completion Date for €2 Billion Project

The new national children’s hospital, a €2 billion project, faces “unprecedented” challenges with 106,500 defects identified across its 5,728 rooms. Construction company Bam describes these as “normal snagging,” but the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) highlights issues like dust in ventilation ducts. The hospital, initially projected by then-minister Leo Varadkar to be completed by 2020, still lacks a firm opening date and is unlikely to open before next year.

Bam states that completion dates “continue to evolve” until the design is finalized and claims “highly selective data” misrepresents the project’s status. The NPHDB will inform the Public Accounts Committee that Bam has not provided an updated substantial completion date for the facility, which received planning permission a decade ago.

Separately, efforts to regulate short-term lettings, legislated for in 2018, remain incomplete due to disagreements between the Housing and Enterprise departments over a “grandfathering” clause for long-time Airbnb operators. The Short-Term Letting and Tourism Bill 2025 requires owners to register units rented for up to 21 days, with the Fáilte Ireland register due to commence this year.

In other news, Public Accounts Committee chair John Brady urged a Senator accused of blackmailing a former State agency official to cooperate with a Garda investigation into fraud allegations. Gerard Hutch, also known as The Monk, has registered as a candidate for the Dublin Central byelection. He acknowledged he could be the wealthiest TD if elected and faces calls from rival candidates to disclose his extensive property portfolio before the election.