Results 21,101-21,120 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I will make a brief response, if that is possible. I thank the Senator. My view is that it is not acceptable that there are eight HSE hospitals that are not providing those services. I do not believe that is acceptable. It is one of the things that is being looked at in the review of the operation of the Act. However, the direction of travel is very important. With regard to what is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I acknowledge that this phrase is causing genuine and understandable concern. At a minimum, what we have already done is to define it explicitly here - what it is and what it is not. I am not a lawyer but the advice is that Oireachtas proceedings would form part of any considerations were matters to ever go to court. The second thing I can do, which I said to both Deputies Hourigan and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: Can I respond to that point?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: The first two questions are around this ask from the Labour Party and others who say they want a State-owned building on State-owned land. I understand fully why people want that. The point I was making previously was that this does not provide the guarantee that people may be demanding because when you look at the remaining maternity hospitals or wards that do not provide them, you can see...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I have been advised that as a condition of the share transfer for nil consideration, St. Vincent's Healthcare Group and St. Vincent's Holdings provided the Religious Sisters of Charity with an indemnity for any liabilities that may arise in connection with the Religious Sisters of Charity's prior ownership of the shares, any past activities at the St. Vincent's hospital campus and a waiver...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes. I am advised that it can be obtained in a reply to a parliamentary question from Deputy Shortall from May.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: The State is not involved in any such indemnity.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: Could the Senator repeat the question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: The rationale I have heard from St. Vincent's has been about the management of the site. The site will have a public hospital, a private hospital, a maternity hospital, general practitioner services, screening services, pharmacies, community-based services and many other services. For the management of the site as a healthcare campus, there should be single ownership. Many of the shared...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. I will take his first question, in respect of starting again. I will pass the question on break clauses and the lease to the lawyers. Dr. Mahony went through issue of the layers of protection. We can do so again. She laid it out very well. The Deputy also asked another question. We can come back to it. As regards how long it would take to start again, there is no...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: The next question asked by the Deputy related to the layers of protection.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I will give a short answer and Dr. Mahony may give a more detailed one. It is because of the history of religion and women's reproductive health in this country. We cannot countenance a new maternity hospital that would have any religious interference. I would never bring it forward. I do not believe the previous Minister, Deputy Harris, would have ever brought it forward. None of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I apologise to Deputy Shortall if I misspoke on that. I beg her pardon. I was just seeking clarity. What was the question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: What may have happened is that I have been given a parliamentary question that is about to be issued to Deputy Shortall. I will clarify the situation and get her exactly what she is looking for.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank Senator Higgins for her questions. I will ask Mr. O'Donoghue or Ms O'Sullivan to come in on the clauses and what an exit strategy might look like in 100 or 200 years. To be clear, the covenants around the €10 a year lease, are not linked to the terms "clinically appropriate" or "legally permissible", they are just linked to the HSE being the tenant, running a hospital on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank Senator Higgins. I ask Mr. O'Donoghue to respond.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I might give a short answer on the phrase "clinically appropriate" and ask Professor Higgins to give a clinical view. The term "clinically appropriate" refers to services that are clinically appropriate for a maternity, gynaecology, neonatal and obstetric hospital. It does not include procedures relating to, for example, cardiology or neurology. The term has caused understandable concern...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: Could we provide a note on that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: For that reason, we will provide a written response to the Senator.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I will get a note on St. Mary's. On the question on dignity, I would not cede the word and concept of "dignity" to any individual, religion or philosophy. I would never accept that just because some group sets itself up and uses the word dignity, its definition of it is the one we should use. I have a very clear idea of what dignity means. The clinicians have a very clear idea of what...