Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

We have to ask what was the point of the past two weeks. After nearly a decade of negotiations, the legal documents were finally published just two weeks ago. The Taoiseach stated that he wanted the documents to be scrutinised and indicated that he was open to changes being made. It is quite clear that this was a charade. We did not know how much of a sham this whole process was until we heard from Mr. Menton yesterday at the committee. Mr. Menton made it absolutely clear, in reply to a question I asked, that it has been five years since any serious attempt was made to engage with the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group on the possibility of buying the site. Despite repeated claims by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health in recent weeks, we now know there was no meaningful engagement at all. Those are Mr. Menton's words; not mine.

In addition, in recent days we have heard a succession of people who support this deal agree that the phrase "clinically appropriate" is both open to misinterpretation and a cause of public concern. It is clearly ambiguous. Representatives from the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street and St. Vincent's University Hospital and the Minister for Health all said they would have no problem including a definition of the term in the legal documents. That was yesterday. What did we get today instead? We got a note that the Cabinet has agreed that it knows what the term means. We have been told that a binding legal definition is not required. What is the message to the women of Ireland? Is it that they should calm down and that they do not need legal guarantees because the word of the Cabinet will suffice? Is the Government asking them to trust it? The Taoiseach can forgive the women of Ireland if they are not reassured.

At the press conference earlier, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, discussed his party's decision to support this deal and break the commitments the Green Party made during the last election campaign. He said that the past two weeks had been useful because people had genuine concerns. He told us, however, that those issues had been teased out and that there is now clarity. Apparently there is clarity because he has decided that there is. Maybe he should ask his colleague, Deputy Hourigan, about that clarity.

The overall attitude of the Government has been incredibly patronising and completely dismissive of good-faith attempts by the Opposition and the public to engage in respect of these documents and improve the deal.

The unseemly rush to ram this decision through the Cabinet is inexplicable. This is especially the case when the Department of Health has not even managed to publish the business case for the deal which it has been negotiating now for almost ten years. Can the Taoiseach explain why the Government never attempted to buy the site and meaningfully address genuine concerns? Why does he think the women of Ireland do not need cast-iron legal guarantees and that somehow the word of the Cabinet is in any way sufficient to address those concerns?

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