Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this question because it provides me with an opportunity to debunk a few myths. I am not giving any hospital to the nuns. With regard to people handing out flyers stating that I am giving the hospital to the nuns, let us debate facts in politics and not try to demonise each other. I am a strong advocate for the separation of church and State and respecting the role of each while not allowing the role of either to cross over and interfere with that of the other. I saw a newspaper headline at the weekend quoting an anonymous source in some hospital which stated that I was meddling in the development of the new hospital. The definition of the word "meddling" is to interfere in something that does not concern one.

I want to be very clear. The people of this country think it is right and proper that their Minister for Health should be concerned with the development of any new national maternity hospital and should want to know that the hospital will have robust governance, will be able to operate independently and that the State will have a seat at the table when decisions are made by the board. I am very confident that we can reach an agreement that ensures such robust clinical governance. It is important to point out that, notwithstanding Deputy Smith's view or my view on how the world should be, both St. Vincent's Hospital and the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, are voluntary hospitals. However, the State is the funder of the capital project and the staff and the custodian of health policies with responsibility for their development.

I assure the Deputy that the hospital will operate with full clinical independence. I note the excellent letter from Dr. Rhona Mahony, the outgoing master of Holles Street, and Dr. Shane Higgins, the incoming master, in The Irish Timesthis week in which both of them, being strong advocates for women's health with impressive track records, stated:

The new NMH will operate in accordance with the law of the land, not canon law - just as it does now. It will have no religious ethos. As the outgoing and incoming Masters of the NMH, we would not countenance supporting anything other than the continued clinical independence of the NMH.

There will be no religious ethos in the new hospital. I agree with Deputy Smith that there must be absolute certainty about the charitable status. I am aware that St. Vincent's Hospital and the nuns have given commitments in that regard. We need to build this new hospital as quickly as possible, but we need to get it right.

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