Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The issue is very straightforward. The Mulvey agreement was negotiated between St. Vincent's University Hospital and Holles Street Hospital. Many people, in particular women, made their views very clearly known to me, loudly and articulately, that they were not satisfied that it was robust enough on the issues of governance and ownership. In effect, they asked me to revert to seek more assurances and protections and that is what I have been doing. I have had my senior officials engage with both hospitals. It is a statement of fact that they are voluntary hospitals with their own governance structures. It is like the road from County Kerry, of which it is said, "I would not start from here." I disagree, however, with the assertion that we are gifting hospitals to nuns, which I have heard put about at protests. It is very important that we get this right. There will be no gifting of any hospital to nuns. No one is blocking this, but I want agreement. I have made very clear to both hospitals what I expect on the ownership of the building and the governance model. I expect that we can make progress in the coming days. The ministerial representatives on the board of Holles Street Hospital were appointed by Barry Desmond who was Minister for Health a long time ago. The Archbishop of Dublin nominally chairs the board, on which the parish priest sits. We need to change that structure to provide for modern, fit-for-purpose governance of our national maternity hospital. That is what I am going to deliver.

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