Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Taoiseach knows, for a very long time, midwives, clinicians and all concerned - and women of course - have been very much in favour of a new maternity hospital and proper investment in maternity services. That should not surprise any of us. The Taoiseach said there is an unanswered question. Let me put this to him. He says that €10 a year for 299 or 300 years is effective public ownership. The question is this. That being the case, why is it that there has not simply been a clean transaction and a transfer of this land to the State? That is actually the question. If the Taoiseach is saying that it is public ownership in all but name, why is it not full public ownership? That is the first question. The second question is this. Given that the State is the key anchor of the voluntary hospitals, including St. Vincent's University Hospital, which receives substantial State money, the Government has a very powerful hand to play. Why is it that the Taoiseach is resisting my very reasonable request-----

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