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11th Feb 2019

Sinn Féin to table no confidence motion in Simon Harris over new children’s hospital costs

Jade Hayden

Sinn Féin are to table a motion of no confidence in Minster for Health Simon Harris.

The party said that an apology from the minster regarding the controversy surrounding the costs of the new children’s hospital is “no substitute for political accountability.”

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald confirmed today that the party are going to table the motion to remove Harris as Minister for Health.

Speaking on Morning Ireland, she said that Sinn Féin had “deliberated carefully” on whether to table the motion and that the party were not “posturing” as members of Fianna Fáil had suggested.

“The general public want and deserve clear answers, full information and and full accountability and that means that Simon Harris has to go,” she said.

This comes after it was confirmed yesterday that Harris will apologise to the Dáil concerning a question he answered about the hospital last year.

The minister had not said that construction costs were overrunning at the time.

It is estimated that the new hospital could cost more than €2 billion.