Diane Dodds MLA said:
“The opening of the new regional maternity hospital is now over ten years behind schedule, with further delays anticipated, no definitive timetable for its completion and an independent review ongoing.
This extraordinary delay not only affects the vital services the new hospital was intended to provide for the people of Northern Ireland, but it also has significant financial implications. To date, £184 million has already been spent on the mother and children’s hospitals project, yet with no work expected to commence on site for the children’s hospital before next year. Already the estimated total costs have risen to over £400 million more than originally proposed.
The Belfast Trust must answer for how such a scandalous situation has been allowed to occur. Decision-makers involved in this project must be held to account.
Our motion calls on the Minister of Health to ensure that such failings cannot be repeated. We urge the commissioning of a full and independent inquiry into the handling of the maternity and children’s hospital project to date, including the process of handover of the maternity hospital to the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust in March 2024.
We must ensure no further public money is lost. The setbacks that bedevilled the maternity hospital cannot occur with the children’s facility. The lessons must be acted on, and it must be right first time.
Public trust in those responsible for this project has been severely damaged, and urgent action is required to restore confidence in the trust’s ability to see the projects through to completion.”