Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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This is such a serious issue for expectant parents that it requires us to choose the terms we use very carefully, but the only word that comes to mind to describe the position is "bonkers". It is straight up bonkers that an expectant father can go for a pint in a dry pub with a €9 meal and will soon be able to go for a pint without a meal in a wet pub, but he cannot accompany his partner in the delivery room for the once-in-a-lifetime experience of bringing a new baby into the world. It is straight up bonkers that the Government has decided it is more important for an expectant father to be able to wet his baby's head than to see his baby's head at the time of birth. The child is not born in an instant. A child comes into the world over a series of hours and, in that series of hours, the mother experiences incredible labour pains for which she needs comfort and support.

I have heard from women who have received terrible news while attending maternity appointments. One can imagine how isolating and upsetting it is not to have the comfort and support of one's partner at such times. I spoke to many parents over the past few weeks and bravo to them because they have certainly brought this issue front and centre.

During a delivery a baby is born and so too a mam and a dad. The expectant father is every bit as much a parent to the child as the delivering mother. He must, therefore, be able to attend the birth of his child following which the man, dad and baby become a family. By attending, I do not mean just being present. I mean in the sense of attending to his partner and their new baby.

The parents I have spoken to know that in prioritising access to pubs over access to the delivery room, the Government is presiding over a farce. I do not believe we should be waiting for an expectant parent to challenge us on the basis of equality.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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New mothers and their partners are understandably very angry about the ongoing visiting restrictions in maternity hospitals. Some maternity hospitals in Dublin have eased restrictions, yet elsewhere the opposite is the case. Women are alone until they are in active labour. I spoke to a woman this morning who endured 23 hours of labour without support from a loved one.

I know that public health is a priority, as it should be, but it is difficult for people to understand why someone is allowed to attend a wedding with 49 other people but, in some instances, people cannot attend a prenatal scan with their partner or be with their partner for most of the labour and after the birth of their baby.

Why is there a disparity in the restrictions among hospitals? There seems to be a geographic lottery that is confusing and frustrating for people. The Covid-19 restrictions in maternity hospitals were introduced six months ago. Since then, many other restrictions in general society have been eased, so why not these? They clearly need to be revised as a matter of urgency. Inconsistent practices in maternity hospitals add to the general confusion among the public. We need coherent guidelines that are supported by clear rationale and shared evidence.

To give the Minister of State some idea of the kinds of cases that have caused this level of confusion and outrage, I spoke to a woman yesterday who had an emergency caesarean section. She went through the entire labour, birth and five days in hospital alone, and has had no follow-up care. Her husband met their baby when she was discharged. It so happens that he had surgery before this and still has follow-up care, including calls during lockdown and an in-person check in May. When he was in hospital his wife was called to bring him in snacks and pyjamas.

Being alone during labour is hard enough when everything goes well but it is even more awful when there are complications. The stories I am hearing about people receiving bad news and having to call their partner who is sitting outside in the car are heartbreaking. No one should have to be alone at this time, unless it is absolutely necessary.

We cannot wait. Will the Minister of State please take action on this issue immediately? We are seeing restrictions across society being revised and revisited, with strong lobby groups involved, but these women do not have that. Will the Minister of State revise the current restrictions in maternity wards immediately?

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputies Cronin and Cairns for raising what I agree is a very important issue. I am a mother of three and I fully understand that the current position in maternity hospitals is a serious concern, which I acknowledge is presenting difficulties for expectant mothers and fathers.

It is regrettable that in order to protect women, babies, staff and our maternity service as a whole, it has been necessary to reduce footfall in maternity hospitals, as both Deputies said. This has been achieved in part through the introduction of visitor restrictions which, unfortunately, have included limitations on access of partners to maternity wards, theatres and appointments. However, the fact that there have been no Covid-19 maternal deaths in this country and that we have had a low incidence of the disease in pregnant women suggests the current approach is working, even if it is very difficult. It is worth remembering also that some of the most vulnerable members of society are cared for in our maternity hospitals, including fragile infants at the very extremes of prematurity. We must do all we can to protect these babies.

Like most healthcare services, maternity hospitals rely on highly specialised personnel to deliver care to women and infants. Should an outbreak of Covid-19 occur in a maternity hospital, it will be devastating for the service in question and would severely impact its ability to provide safe, quality care to mothers and their babies.

To date, our maternity hospitals have performed very well and they have continued to keep women, babies and staff safe while delivering quality care in very challenging circumstances. However, we cannot become complacent. The virus is still transmitting in the community and we must be on high alert. Everybody present will be aware that 307 cases of the virus were reported yesterday.

As services resume, for example, in gynaecology, the number of people in hospitals will rise, thereby increasing the vulnerability of our hospitals to an outbreak. As I said, an outbreak of Covid-19 among staff or patients would have a severe negative impact and reduce our ability to provide maternity services.

All of our maternity services are challenged by the pandemic but those challenges vary considerably between units. There are also significant variations in caseloads, complexity and infrastructure across the system. For this reason, we cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach. Rather, we need local flexibility that provides for different circumstances in different maternity wards. Decisions on any restrictions are, therefore, made, implemented and reviewed at hospital level.

I assure the House that the decisions to restrict visitors in maternity hospitals has not been taken lightly.

Front-line staff and hospital management are acutely aware of the very important support provided by partners at the time of birth and, indeed, during clinic visits. I have been assured that maternity hospitals wish to facilitate this support as far as possible and in that context visitor restrictions have been minimised as much as possible and are reviewed frequently.

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for her response. I still believe a solution must be found. There is no shortage of personal protective equipment, PPE. At the start of this pandemic, we are all very anxious and there was a shortage of PPE. Naturally, it had to be kept for our healthcare workers but there is no shortage now so a solution can be found. Labour can go on for 24 hours, or more in some awful cases. The birthing partner — it might not be the father but could be the mother or best friend — should be able to go in for half an hour and leave, or stay in for an hour at the birth. With the PPE, a solution can be found.

The World Health Organization has said no woman should be labouring on her own. A hospital is a controlled environment. We really have to sort this out and find a solution. The Minister of State is a mother, as am I, and will therefore realise that a woman is never more vulnerable than when lying on a birthing bed in her nightie. She wants support. Deputy Cullinane is writing to the hospitals today to ask them to re-examine this matter. We have to find a solution.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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I completely understand what the Minister of State is saying about the necessity of reducing the footfall but, respectfully, that is not what we are asking about. We understand that and so do all the mothers who have been in touch with us. Trust me, that is really not the point. If, as the Minister of State says, there are different circumstances in different hospitals, people need to accept and understand why. Across society, we have seen revisions in so many sectors and an easing of restrictions. Has the maternity policy been revised? We need the reasons for what is happening to be transparent. So much has been re-opened in every other part of society, yet women are still alone when giving birth. If what the Minister of State describes is necessary, we need to know why. Will there be a review of the maternity wards to determine whether the restrictions can be eased? Can it be carried out immediately before any more women have to go through this?

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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We cannot forget that the virus is still with us. As I said, there were 307 cases yesterday. We must remain vigilant. Failing to do so will increase the exposure of our hospitals to an outbreak and, ultimately, increase the risk to service users and staff alike. Should an outbreak occur in one of our maternity hospitals, it would negatively impact our ability to provide safe, quality care to mothers and babies. It is important that we do everything in our power to protect mothers, babies and staff. Our maternity hospitals have been successful so far in doing so and the fact that there has been no Covid-related maternal death in this country and that we have a low Covid incidence among pregnant women are a testament to this.

I accept the Deputies' statements that there should not be a one-size-fits-all approach and I understand that no two pregnancies are the same but the visitor restrictions have helped to protect the maternity service. I fully acknowledge the wonderful support partners provide during labour. Front-line staff are aware of that and are therefore ensuring restrictions are minimised as far as possible. I assure both Deputies that the restrictions are reviewed frequently and will be lifted as soon as hospitals believe it is safe to do so. I will raise the Deputies' concerns with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and also raise the fact that they have sought a review of the maternity ward restrictions.

Before I came here to answer the question, I looked at the list of 19 maternity hospitals. In University Hospital Galway, partners are permitted to be with mothers in the labour ward or in theatre if there is a caesarean section. In Mayo University Hospital, partners are permitted to attend with mothers in labour. It varies. In University Hospital Waterford, the birthing partner can attend as soon as the mother is in established labour. Deputy Cronin said labour can take over 23 hours so I can understand where she is coming from. I will relay the Deputies' concerns to the Minister. The restrictions on visits are put in place purely to protect the mother and the baby.