Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for tabling this motion. The contributions that Deputies have brought to this topic are testament to how critically important the new national maternity hospital is. When I spoke on the topic of maternity services recently, I noted how the attention and investment in those services are commensurate with the importance that we, as a society, place on women and babies. I reaffirmed the commitment of this Government to delivering better health outcomes for the women of Ireland, as well as our determination to ensure that the success achieved so far in women’s health is built on for generations of Irish women and girls into the future.

What we are talking about today is a huge part of that ongoing work. It is worth remembering that the new national maternity hospital will be the single greatest investment in maternity and women’s healthcare in the history of the State. It will provide state-of-the-art facilities for the provision of modern healthcare for generations of women and families to come but it is more than just a hospital. It is an investment in our services and in the dedicated people who provide those services. Most importantly of all, it is an investment in the women of this country. That investment is long overdue.

We all want to see modern, safe and compassionate services delivered with dignity and respect to those who use them. To ensure we can deliver on that aim, the Government has provided a significant increase in funding for women’s healthcare in 2021, reflecting our commitment to improve services in this area. The €12 million that has been allocated to the national maternity strategy and to gynaecology services this year, and the additional €5 million provided to the women’s health task force, will ensure there is a renewed focus on delivering the best possible care for women and babies across the country.

I can reassure the Deputies that delivering improved outcomes for women will remain our core aim. The National Maternity Hospital’s move, as planned, to the Elm Park campus is a key part of achieving that aim. The development of modern hospitals, co-located with adult teaching hospitals, will ensure we can provide the best possible healthcare to women and babies, delivered by the right person at the right time and in the right place. The new hospital is, therefore, a vital piece of infrastructure and one that will help to underpin the development of maternity services and the implementation of the national maternity strategy into the future.

We know that concerns have been raised regarding the ownership and clinical independence of the new national maternity hospital. These concerns are not surprising, given the chequered history of women’s experiences of care in this country in the past. However, as the Minister has outlined, a considerable amount of work has been done to address these issues and to ensure the new hospital will remain in State ownership to serve women and families for years to come.

Several Deputies who proposed the motion have stated that the Government is gifting the hospital to the Religious Sisters of Charity. This is inaccurate, untrue and misleading. The corporate and clinical governance arrangements for the new maternity hospital are set out in the Mulvey agreement, which was agreed between the National Maternity Hospital and St. Vincent’s University Hospital in 2016. A key element of that agreement and a core objective in the subsequent negotiations around the legal framework was the need for the new national maternity hospital to have clinical and operational, as well as financial and budgetary, independence. This means that the full range of health services available at the new hospital will be provided without religious, ethnic or other distinction.

As the Minister for Health stated earlier, the other core objective in this project was and remains that the State’s significant investment in the new hospital must be appropriately protected. In this regard, as part of the initial negotiations in 2017, the then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, sought the outright transfer of the site for the new hospital. Following extensive engagement between the HSE, the National Maternity Hospital, St. Vincent's Healthcare Group and the Department, the current position is that St. Vincent's Healthcare Group has agreed to lease the site to the State for a period of 99 years. There is the potential to extend this lease for a further 50 years. Lest there be any confusion, I want to reiterate that neither the Government or the Minister will be gifting the national maternity hospital to anyone. Language is extremely important here. The finalisation of the draft legal framework and associated arrangements are still ongoing, with a view to ensuring the safeguarding of women’s healthcare services and the State’s investment are affirmed beyond doubt for the public and for women in Ireland.

In terms of the governance of the new hospital, as set out in the Mulvey agreement, a new company, the national maternity hospital at Elm Park designated activity company, DAC, will be established, which will operate the hospital under licence from the State. The Minister has received assurances that the positions on the board will be filled solely on the basis of competency. Furthermore, in addition to the four directors nominated by the National Maternity Hospital and St. Vincent's Healthcare Group, respectively, the Minister will also nominate a public interest representative to the board.

The Religious Sisters of Charity will not have any role in the governance or operation of the new national maternity hospital. The Minister has been absolutely clear about this previously, and clarified the situation once again today. The Religious Sisters of Charity have resigned from the St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group board and will be transferring their shareholding to St. Vincent’s Holdings company limited by guarantee, CLG. It is also clear that the constitution of St. Vincent’s Holdings CLG makes no reference to canon law and that canon law will have no impact in the provision of care at the new hospital.

I would like to reiterate to the House that this Government remains fully committed to its focus on the development of maternity and women’s health services in this country. We are investing more in these services to ensure that developments are achieved, improvements are made and outcomes for people using the services are enhanced. The relocation of the National Maternity Hospital is a significant part of that development. I want reiterate what the Minister said. He will not countenance developing any new maternity hospital where there is any risk that religious or other influence will put women's reproductive healthcare at risk or endanger their safety. This is a commitment from the Minister on the floor of this House. He can assure Deputies that the clear legal advice provided to the State is that the ownership and clinical and corporate governance structures ensure that all legally permissible medical services will be provided in the new hospital.

I want to respond to an accusation that was made here earlier. In case there is any concern on the part of Deputy O'Reilly, Fianna Fáil fully supports the new national maternity hospital being built on public land and in State ownership. The Minister has the full support of Fianna Fáil on this. However, language is important and any attempt to demonise the Catholic faith for political gain is unnecessary and disappointing. Unfortunately, we have seen this happen more and more recently. The Minister and the Government remain committed to progressing this critical project, and to providing the highest quality infrastructure and environment for it, with all of the necessary assurances, to enable the delivery of modern, safe and quality health services for women and babies for many years to come.

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