Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question. It is very reasonable. I asked the exact same question when I was shown the corporate structure. That is the agreement that was in place in 2016 and 2017. It provided safeguards for the national maternity hospital ensuring that it would have full clinical and operational independence. This is contained with the reserved powers of the board. Behind the Deputy's question are the questions of whether this guarantees full clinical and operational independence and whether the board has a direct relationship with the HSE. The answer to both is "Yes". It should be remembered that the final agreement has not been reached. We will be making sure that any and all safeguards, directorships, reserved powers and so forth that need to be in place will be in place.