Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Of course, the nature of a seven year strategy is that it gets implemented incrementally over seven years. I will ask the Minister for Health to provide the Deputy with detail on what is implemented to date and progress on other matters.

I would point out though that while we have a high birth rate in Ireland, it is falling, and notwithstanding the fact that we have a falling birth rate, we now have more midwives than we have ever had before, and more consultant obstetricians and gynaecologists than we have ever had before. I am pleased to note that An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission for a new national maternity hospital which can now be built. It will be the first new maternity hospital built since Cork University Maternity Hospital a number of years ago.

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