{"id":399698,"date":"2026-03-23T12:57:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T12:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/399698\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T12:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T12:57:09","slug":"disability-authority-warned-of-possible-legal-action-if-overbudget-building-project-is-halted-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/399698\/","title":{"rendered":"Disability authority warned of possible legal action if overbudget building project is halted \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

The National Disability Authority<\/a> (NDA) was told halting a construction project that was running close to 50 per cent over budget could lead to legal action.<\/p>\n

Work on the authority\u2019s Dublin 4<\/a> headquarters was expected to cost around \u20ac1.36 million under its original budget, but internal documents warned costs could rise to almost \u20ac2 million.<\/p>\n

The project was planned to deal with fire safety concerns and findings from a 2019 audit that highlighted accessibility issues with the building.<\/p>\n

A meeting of the authority\u2019s finance committee last April heard of \u201cdissatisfaction\u201d over the spiralling price and \u201cthe fear that there will be further additional costs\u201d.<\/p>\n

Attendees at the meeting were told there was no choice but to proceed with the work as the project was already well under way. The meeting was told that because the building on Clyde Road in Ballsbridge<\/a> was a protected structure, it was \u201cinevitable that there will be surprises\u201d.<\/p>\n

An update sent to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality<\/a> advising it of the cost overruns said \u201cstopping now would result in a total loss\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe executive also commented that stopping the project could result in a legal action from the contractor against the NDA.\u201d<\/p>\n

A briefing document for the department said a temporary subcommittee had been set up \u201cto convey concern and dissatisfaction\u201d over how the costs had escalated.<\/p>\n

It said extensive works were required to introduce fire-stopping measures and that additional expenses related to asbestos removal, the relining of an old chimney, and rerouting of drains.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0More than \u20ac17m in social welfare overpayments paid to people no longer living in IrelandOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

The note said two further issues had cropped up: the building\u2019s emergency lighting system was no longer fit for purpose, and there were logistical challenges with providing an accessibility ramp.<\/p>\n

The note also explained how there was no contingency in the original budget because of how Government contracts are awarded.<\/p>\n

It added: \u201cThe current public procurement process also means that public bodies have little choice but to select the lowest submitted tender, increasing the likelihood that additional costs will become necessary during the lifetime of a project.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NDA believes both these issues have contributed to the current set of circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Disability Authority told the department it would seek about \u20ac250,000 in savings in other areas to help meet the unexpected costs. An internal NDA note questioned whether the department should be told about this.<\/p>\n

Minutes of an authority meeting show the project was completed last October, months beyond the anticipated June finish date.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Tallaght houses go to market after compulsory acquisition by South Dublin County CouncilOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

The minutes said a summary note of the works should be prepared, noting \u201cchallenges at the various stages\u201d and what steps could be taken to ensure there was no repeat.<\/p>\n

This week the NDA, an independent statutory body that provides advice to the department on disability policy, said it still did not have a final bill for the project as it was \u201cin the negotiation phase\u201d.<\/p>\n

The main contractor on the project, Tolmac, did not respond to questions.<\/p>\n

The department said feasibility studies and a valuation report determined it was \u201cmost economically advantageous\u201d to carry out works on the existing premises rather than seeking an alternative building.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the information provided in January 2025 about the need for additional expenditure, there was agreement that this was essential to allow for the conclusion of the works in compliance with the relevant regulations and standards,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

It said the NDA achieved savings \u201cwherever possible in its non-pay budget\u201d last year to help meet the cost overruns. There was an underspend in the NDA\u2019s pay budget and the department allowed a \u201ca one-time exceptional transfer\u201d to meet the increased building project costs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The National Disability Authority (NDA) was told halting a construction project that was running close to 50 per…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399699,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[73],"tags":[44210,79,14085,7843,41185,18,19,17,181522],"class_list":["post-399698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-ballsbridge","tag-business","tag-department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth","tag-disability","tag-dublin-4","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-national-disability-authority"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116278607499118374","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}