Children's Hospital construction firm offers to withdraw from project

In a dramatic twist to the ongoing saga of the National Children's Hospital the construction company responsible for building the facility has said if the hospital board wants to 'opt out' of the contract and procure the work in another way it will facilitate that.

In a statement the company’s CEO Theo Cullinane said:

“In response to the Taoiseach’s comments in the Dáil on Tuesday February 12 last, BAM has written to the Taoiseach directly to respectfully request him to clarify that he was not referring to BAM in the Dáil and that BAM has made and continues to make a significant contribution to Ireland, including in the context of the New Children’s Hospital, where BAM is in full compliance with all its obligations.

“BAM will continue its commitment to the New Children’s Hospital and the confidence of all parties involved is a vital requirement for the company.

“BAM wishes to advise the hospital board that if it would prefer to opt out of this contract and procure the work in some other way, then BAM will cooperate with them to facilitate this option.”

The predicted cost of the new hospital, on the campus of St James’s Hospital in Dublin, has soared from an original estimate of €650m to more than €1.7 billion.