Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. The Mulvey agreement set out the principles but it did not include, for example, the legal documentation. After the Mulvey agreement set out the principles, there were years of detailed work to enshrine it in legal work. It is not that we are going back to pull apart the Mulvey agreement. The cornerstone of what we all want to achieve is to build as quickly as possible a wonderful new maternity hospital with full clinical and operational independence. That is enshrined in the Mulvey agreement. We are now ensuring that the details in the final agreements on governance and so forth fully reflect that and give us all the guarantees we want.

I share the Deputy's concerns about considering moving to another site. It is not that anyone is expressly taking any options off the table but moving to another site would add several years to the project. The only question would be how many years it would add. It would potentially also add significant cost to the project, money that should be spent on providing maternity services. I would be concerned about such a move and would agree with the Deputy in that regard.