19 February 2025 

SDLP Opposition Health Spokesperson Colin McGrath MLA has said the Executive’s primary concern should be delivering the long-delayed and troubled Children’s Hospital project.

He said it was galling to see Executive Ministers’ seeking credit after announcing work is set to begin, with the project years behind schedule and the budget spiralling out of control.

South Down MLA Mr McGrath said:

“It was all smiles from Executive Ministers today as they announced that construction will soon begin on the new Children’s Hospital in Belfast. What they failed to mention is this project was first proposed in 2013, and that costs have more than doubled due to the failure of the Executive and their predecessors to progress this in a timely manner.

“This project should have been completed in 2020 and instead the hospital will now open in 2030 at the earliest. That’s generations of young people in the North who will not receive the highest standard of care possible due to political failure in delivering this hospital and Executive inability to deal with the challenges facing our health service.

“Of course progress on the hospital at long last is welcome and we want to see it delivered as soon as possible, but again we see Executive Ministers looking a pat on the back for doing the bare minimum - that’s galling for the public who are picking up the bill for these delays. The SDLP Opposition will continue to hold Ministers accountable for delivering this project, so that we can finally see children and young people getting the care they need in a modern and properly equipped hospital.”