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

I answered that question earlier, but the lease does give effective ownership to the State. In my view, there is no question about that. I have read the letters from Professor Deirdre Madden and Dr. Sarah McLoughlin. Again I make the point that it is not clear to me at all and no one has actually specifically explained from their perspective - from Deputy Bacik's perspective, for example - what the material difference is between the 300-year lease and a freehold ownership in the context of all legally permissible services being made available at the hospital, given the constitution of the hospital, the operating licence from the HSE to the hospital, the ministerial powers in the golden share to enforce the reserved powers of the constitution, the three members of the State appointed by the Minister of the day who will be on the board along with three from the national maternity hospital, and all the correspondence from every senior midwife in Ireland now, directors of midwifery-----

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