Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Or, indeed, the other way round. Tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach, aontaím leis an Taoiseach, go mbeadh an t-ospidéal máithreachais neamhspleách ar an eaglais. Is í an cheist atá os comhair na Dála anois ná cad a dhéanfaidh an Taoiseach agus an Rialtas chun an neamhspleáchas sin a chur chun cinn?

The Taoiseach mentioned that yesterday’s statement came from the board of directors of St. Vincent's Healthcare Group. This is not to cast aspersions on anyone but it is to state the facts; the people of Ireland should know who is on the board of directors of that group. They are James Menton, chair, Dr. David Brophy, Deirdre Burns, John Compton, Gerard Flood, Ann Hargaden, Myles Lee, Sharen McCabe, Dr. Rhona Mahony and Imelda Reynolds. We need to find out what they are thinking and why they think the way they do. As I said in the debate on the motion earlier, this is not about the integrated healthcare needs of women and babies; this is about the integrated needs of the investment of that board of directors, and the future, because they hold the privilege of being able to remortgage or sell that land. That land belongs to the people of Ireland and that hospital should fully belong to the people of Ireland.

I notice that many Ministers have eulogised the history of the Sisters of Charity in jumping into gaps that were there, and that these gaps just happened in the history of the State. These gaps were created. Although the Taoiseach has said that this history predates his Government, which it certainly does, it does not predate his party. Fianna Fáil were at the heart of the arrangements with the church to provide health and education in this country. The question for the Taoiseach is a defining one. Will he ensure that the State will now do what it is supposed to do and take full control of the ownership, ethos and delivery of services of that hospital? It is not just the idea of ownership and control that matters; it is also ultimately about the accountability of the State to the women and people of Ireland, including the accountability of the Minister, the Taoiseach, the Government and, indeed, future Governments as it is not just about the current one. Who controls the land matters. It means that if we get control of the land as a State and a society, we will control the ethos and the business that goes on there, who gets employed there and who runs it. It is clear, and it has been said time and time again, that the constitution of this group does not prioritise the people of Ireland. It actually prioritises an ethos that dates back to the era of Mother Mary Aikenhead.

I do not accept that the Sisters of Charity have no interest in this. The St. Vincent's Holdings group has indicated that it has full interest in this. The way we see it as a people and as a gender - women who can reproduce in this country - this is a very dangerous move if we do not get full ownership and accountability of the new national maternity hospital that workers are paying for.

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