David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have a few questions for Professor Higgins. I welcome all the witnesses. We had some very lengthy discussions with the Minister for Health today in the Dáil Chamber. I asked him if he, as the Minister for Health, asked the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group if it would gift the land to the State. He said he did, and it said no. He said it was not for turning when it comes to the issue of the ownership of the land. If it is not for turning on that issue, it is because it is not gifting the land to the State, so the State does not own the land. This is not just about ownership; it is about the company structure. It is about whether it is a HSE hospital or whether it is a voluntary hospital, because that is the issue.

From Professor Higgins’s perspective, could he see a situation where the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group would ever allow a HSE hospital to be built on its land?