Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

On the last day of the previous Dáil term, I asked the Tánaiste about the ongoing restrictions in maternity hospitals. He stated:

this really ought not be a problem anymore. Certainly, by the time we return after the summer recess, ... Let us try to get this sorted over the next couple of weeks.

Unfortunately, we are back but many of the restrictions are still in place. Last night, Better Maternity Care had a meeting where women shared stories of distress, fear and anger as they were forced to endure labour and caring for their newborn alone. This was compounded by "The Rotunda" television series which was permitted to film in the hospitals when partners were banned from them. This has been going on for so long that some women are about to have their second babies in these disgraceful conditions. When NPHET advised the Government that indoor dining could not proceed as planned on 5 July, the Minister held continuous high-level meetings, with late nights and weekends for the Attorney General's staff, and rapidly published new legislation. There was no evidence of the same level of attention on 10 May when NPHET stated there was no good reason, in public health terms, maternity restrictions continued to be in place.

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