Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is a fundamental part of this. Of course I would prefer that the site was owned by the State. I do not think any of us have any difficulty saying that. However, if this legal framework the Minister will be bringing to Cabinet satisfies the requirements he has set out, then I am satisfied. The only thing I am interested in for the rest of this debate is what Deputy Duncan Smith referred to, that is, that the service be provided, that there be no iconography associated with the owner of the land, and that the services provided within the hospital are compliant with the law set out in this House and by the medical profession itself. That is all that has interested me throughout this debate, even going back to 2010 and 2011 when we were talking about whether it should be located at some other hospital or another facility. All these discussions are moot and the most important point is the services are co-located to provide the best possible medical care to all those who wish to avail of it in the future.

The development of this hospital is a critical step in bringing women's and girls' healthcare into the 21st century. It will be one of the most significant infrastructural investments in women's healthcare in the history of the State. The debate about the hospital has often been misdirected and, at worst, the narrative has been deliberately misled by Members of this House and members of the public. The Minister has made it very clear that no proposal will go before Government unless there is an absolute guarantee that all procedures that are legally permissible will be available in the new hospital. That is an important fact and that is the only reasonable action to take. The question of whether the legal framework will be provided to the line committee is a matter for the Government. It would be very unusual. Deputy Cullinane might understand or accept that point. That is ultimately a matter for the Minister and the Cabinet.

I also draw attention to the fact that the issues regarding ownership and governance will reflect the State's significant investment in the hospital and I look forward to the publication of the legal framework at some point in the future. The publication of this information will give clarity to the public and to staff, doctors and nurses who will work in the maternity hospital on governance and ownership. The necessity of the national maternity hospital simply cannot be overstated. As has been said, the facilities in the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, are, despite the best efforts of all staff, not fit for purpose. Maternity and neonatal care present some of the highest-risk situations for patients and as a result, hundreds of pregnant women require intervention every year, be they surgical or medical, which are not available within the hospital. This means that every year hundreds of women have to be transferred from Holles Street to other hospitals in Dublin. This situation even extends to intensive care, which is not available in the current premises. This is a practice that no one would find tolerable whereas the new maternity hospital will cater for all of those medical and surgical needs in a state-of-the-art facility providing world class care for people who need it most. A modern and fully equipped medical campus will allow the public to have the confidence and assuredness that they will be cared for within the highest of international standards. The pregnancy journey is often not an easy one and it carries with it worries and risks and when issues arise it can result in extreme stress and worry. Therefore, we owe it to every woman in the country to provide them with the best possible care. Like all of us, I look forward to the new national maternity hospital becoming operational in the time ahead. It will be a transformative measure for women’s healthcare and for the medical care of babies in Ireland.

I again want to stress that the operation of the hospital and the procedures carries out will be free from any religious influence. This is something that people have been rightly concerned about since the early days of this debate. However, it is no longer a legitimate concern, nor should any member of the Opposition suggest otherwise. It would be untrue and disingenuous to continue with that line given what has been said today and repeatedly in the past. The Religious Sisters of Charity will have no role in the governance of the new national maternity hospital and, in May 2017, it announced its intention to end its involvement with the hospital and transfer its shareholding from the St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group to a new company, St. Vincent’s Holdings CLG, which is a charitable not-for-profit body. Since 2017, it has not been involved in the functions or operations of the holding firm and has resigned from the board in the same year. It is also important to note, as the Minister has told the House, that clinicians have publicly and vocally supported the Government position on this hospital and have highlighted the misleading and ill-informed narrative that has surrounded this debate. In February, as the Minister has outlined, 52 doctors wrote to senior Ministers, urging them to press ahead with the vital project saying that misinformation over the site's ownership risked derailing the project. Senior medical figures, including the master of the National Maternity Hospital, Professor Shane Higgins, and three of his predecessors said that the deal on the table includes unbreakable legal stipulations to guarantee all procedures allowed under Irish law will be provided. They went on to say that concerns about the new hospital on the St. Vincent’s University Hospital campus at Elm Park "being curtailed by any religious ethos are misleading and ill-informed". In the letter they also said it was manifestly false to suggest that only full State ownership can assure the avoidance of religious influence. This is an important contribution in the debate and one that should be heard by Members of the Oireachtas and the public.

In my remaining time I would like to highlight the work being done by the Government in improving women’s healthcare in Ireland across the board. I would particularly like to welcome the publication of the Women’s Health Action Plan 2022-2023. This is a significant body of work that was formulated through engagement with women of all ages and backgrounds across Ireland. As a result we have a plan to improve health outcomes and the experiences of women and girls who require the services within our health system. Between now and the end of the year €9 million will be invested in the provision of free contraception to women aged between 17 and 25. More than €8 million will be invested in additional funding for the national maternity strategy, in excess of €1 million to support the initial establishment of the perinatal genetics service and an additional €5 million investment in the women’s healthcare fund, a large amount of which will go towards access to gynaecology clinics, raising the number of clinics to 20 nationally. These are real and transformative changes. These investments and the work of this Government will ensure that every woman and girl in Ireland will receive better, more efficient and more flexible healthcare services for generations to come. We should all be committed to this goal and it is one we can achieve.

See this speech in context