Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Everyone wants to see the building of the new national maternity hospital but it has been overshadowed by the Government's failure to listen to the concerns of so many people inside and outside this Chamber. The simple fact is that a national maternity hospital built by the State should, and must, be built on land solely owned by the State. Long-term leasing is not the same as full ownership. We have to nail the lie. Both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have had plenty of time over the years to build and provide a national maternity hospital on public lands.

There are two main reasons State ownership matters. The first is that it avoids these complicated governance arrangements and any chance of limited services. The second is that if safeguards the State's investment and avoids legal problems down the line if a big private company got involved in St. Vincent's, which is a possibility should it see a health-for-profit opportunity. It would also give the Government a bargaining chip because, at present, St. Vincent's Healthcare Group holds all of the cards.

Control of the land is of the utmost importance. With the State's investment should come full ownership. I do not believe that everything possible has been done to acquire the site and I do not accept that there is no option that involves State ownership of the land. The question of why the State cannot own the land has never been answered satisfactorily. Every effort should be made to acquire the land or to ensure the gifting of the land to the State, which was promised at the beginning of this process. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the leader of the Green Party have all admitted to having concerns about the ownership. In government, Sinn Féin would insist on St. Vincent's Healthcare Group gifting the land and would work with the group to persuade it to do so. We would work with it to ensure the site's integration and cohesion is protected, delivering the best outcome for all. Again, the Government is shamefully engaging in a smoke-and-mirrors exercise in not opposing Sinn Féin's motion solely to stop Members on its own benches voting in favour of it.

See this speech in context