Results 3,301-3,320 of 8,483 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: It will be nominating members to the new proposed national maternity hospital body-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: This is why it is relevant how St. Vincent's Healthcare Group interprets these values.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: No, not the holding company but in fact the national maternity hospital DAC.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: The witnesses may follow up in writing. We did not get much of a sense of how the voice of the voiceless argument might be interpreted. That is fine. It is another example of why removing "clinically appropriate" might be useful. Do the witnesses think it is a little excessive to have three members of the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group on the board of this new entity? It is the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: It creates a tension, however, because the national maternity hospital is effectively there as a tenant of a landlord. Having the landlord chair the board of the tenant seems to create somewhat of a tension. I just might two or three points on the contract.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I will give Mr. Menton a chance to answer a couple of questions at the same time. I would appreciate a response on the issue of the chairmanship. On the 30-year option for the State, why not 70 years? We have been told 70 years is the expected lifespan of the first hospital, so why not have 70 years in terms of that first lifetime? Would that not give some more security to the State that...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: Mr. O'Rallaghaigh mentioned his concerns in relation to selling the freehold to the State. Would that not also apply to selling it to someone else? If it only applies at this point before the hospital is built, then why not continue to have a first refusal on the freehold for the 70 years of the first hospital?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: It is a very unusual situation.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I must have-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: Am I out of time?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I apologise. Could I just ask one last question?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: If it is possible, could the witnesses answer the question on options for the State to exit.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: Mr. Menton mentioned another negotiation, which concerns me. As it seems in the lease there is simply a requirement that there would be maternity hospitals and that if there is not a maternity hospital, there is a return to the €850,000 rent, which is the actual rent that is waived and reduced to €10. We mentioned earlier when that might apply. Permitted use is one of the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I think the terms of the lease were considerably worse than anybody expected when that was being discussed, in terms of the €850,000 liability, potentially, if the State does not continue to have hospitals on that ground.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: We keep saying that to use it as a hospital is the obligation. The obligation is permitted use, which includes reference to using it as a hospital and includes reference to clinically appropriate, so just permitted use-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: That would return to market rent at that point. We would have a contract for the 210 years with market rent payable to St. Vincent's Healthcare Group if the State chose not to. There is no exit mechanism.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: If it does not, it pays market rent for the remaining period.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to pick up on the chair's point. He mentioned that significant risk to patient care was being given as the reason. I am not clear why that would not be the case with a HSE or other hospital that had a co-operation agreement. We were told it was about the distance, but a publicly owned hospital built on that site would be a situation. We heard it was about doctors co-operating, but...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: That is my final question.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)
Alice-Mary Higgins: They are being dealt with by St. James's and the national children's hospital.