Speaking after the debate, Diane Dodds said:
“The ongoing scandal surrounding the new Royal Victoria Maternity and Children’s Hospital in Belfast demands a full independent inquiry. This project was intended to deliver state-of-the-art healthcare for some of the most vulnerable members of our community—our children, including those born premature, and expectant mothers. Instead, it has been plagued by delays, cost overruns, and concerns about transparency and accountability.
I welcome the support of the majority of MLAs for such an inquiry. Taxpayers, healthcare professionals, and patients deserve answers. It was disappointing that today we got no real answers from the Health Minister as to how this situation has arisen. Indeed, the Health Minister admitted in the Chamber that he only learnt of the latest issues with the project this morning. This is cause for great concern.
We need to know how this situation arose, and why were red flags not acted upon sooner? Why are we only being told now of the issues with gas supply in the premises, which will add more cost and delay?
This is an omnishambles, and I await the Trust coming to Committee and answering for this catalogue of failure. They must be held to account and public trust restored in how the public sector handle taxpayer’s money.”