James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

NAMA has been very co-operative in helping coherence in Government. In other words, when we were considering the National Maternity Hospital moving to St. Vincent's University Hospital, we looked at the buildings that had been built for a private hospital and other purposes - it may not quite have been for a private hospital, but that was one of the possibilities. However, IDA Ireland had another multinational client and we backed away. IDA Ireland was very successful through Mr. Barry O'Leary, whom I congratulate on his retirement, in securing more jobs for that part of Dublin. We will now build a new co-located hospital for the National Maternity Hospital there.

While it is sad to see Mount Carmel close, in 2004 there were 16 private-hospital bodies and today there are 22. There is always this movement within a sector as needs and demands change. I do not have full and intimate detail of all that transpired there once it was bought by a developer and the debts that might have accrued. However, I certainly know that the Department and the HSE undertook an extensive appraisal of how that hospital might represent value to the health system and clearly came to the decision that it was not in the best interests of the health services to acquire it as a going concern, as I made clear in my opening remarks.

We need to ensure that the patients attending there are looked after in a seamless fashion with the minimum distress. We need to do our best to help to relocate the many excellent staff, as we would not like to see their special skill sets lost.

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