Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Government will own the new hospital. The issue is the site, which the Government wants to own as well. A religious ethos will have no influence whatsoever in the running of the hospital, nor should the site or the hospital be mortgaged.

Furthermore, strong public interest must be reflected on the board of the new hospital, given the nature and scale of the investment by the State in this new hospital. That is where the State stands. The Minister will engage with the stakeholders and will make the views of Government and the Oireachtas known. The St. Vincent’s Hospital Group should take note of the consensus in the Oireachtas on this issue, reflect on that and respond appropriately as the Minister engages with it and other stakeholders.

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