Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

If the Tánaiste is accepting that point, why would she then add to the complexity by handing over a public asset to a private organisation? This is not just a question of a voluntary hospital, it is a question of two public hospitals within a private corporate entity. In the case of the children's hospital, which will be on the grounds of St. James's, nobody suggested for a moment that St. James's should own it. Does anybody in Government actually know what the financial status is of the different elements of the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group? Can the Tánaiste clarify the status of the Mulvey report? Can she guarantee that public money will only be used in the public interest and that the Government will ensure that the public purse is protected by ensuring that the new national maternity hospital will remain in public ownership? That is a key point. It would be most unwise on financial grounds for the Government to contemplate doing anything else.

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