A spokesman for Donegal TD and Minister Joe McHugh says there has been ‘ totally unwarranted scaremongering’ in claims being made about the fallout from the rising cost of the new National Children’s Hospital in Dublin.
The latest concern arises after claims today by a former Ballyshannon town councillor and local election candidate that a proposed extension to the Sheil Hospital in Ballyshannon is going to be delayed.
However, a spokesman for Minister McHugh insists there is no change to plans for community hospitals, and that work will be ready to start on the Sheil Hospital project in about a month.
Billy Grimes, a former Fianna Fail councillor now running as an Independent candidate, says the Health Minister has been reported as saying the rising cost of the new children’s hospital would not result in any delaying or deferring of hospital projects.
But he now says that a senior government minister confirmed that a proposed extension to the Sheil Hospital will be delayed.
Speaking on the North West Today Show, he outlined the timeline for his information.
Billy Grimes says is now going to organise a public meeting over the issue on Monday evening at 8:30 in Dorrian’s Hotel.
However, a spokesman for Minister Joe McHugh told Ocean FM News there is no change to plans for community hospitals, adding that there has been ‘totally unwarranted scaremongering on a number of fronts.’
The spokesman added: “The budget for the Children’s Hospital will have zero impact on school buildings and zero impact on the timelines for the A5 Derry to Dublin road.”
He said there will still be an allocation of more than €70m in Community Hospitals in 2019, a significant increase on the 2018 provision.
“The money has been promised. It will be paid. And the work will be carried out.”
Minister McHugh’s spokesman said the Department of Health is limiting the impact of the Children’s Hospital budget to, what it calls ‘reprofiling’ €24million, and this will be restricted to the delivery of some smaller capital works, such as repairs and replacements over a longer period of time.
He said the Taoiseach has given this commitment and anything to the contrary is ‘scaremongering.’
Meanwhile, Ballyshannon-based Fine Gael Councillor Barry O Neill has also taken strong issue with Billy Grimes over his claims:
