Results 5,261-5,280 of 26,351 for speaker:David Cullinane
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: I welcome all of our guests. I thank the Minister for being here. He is also welcome. I will take the Minister back to last Tuesday's Cabinet meeting. I presume he brought proposals to the Cabinet on the basis that he wanted it to approve them. I assume that in the Minister's head, that would bring talks with the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group to a conclusion. Is that a fair assessment?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: I understand that. My question was whether it was the Minister's intention to get Cabinet approval at that meeting and following discussion at Cabinet, a decision was then made to pause making a decision for a couple of weeks to allow for these types of hearings? Was the intention of the Minister when going into that Cabinet meeting to get sign-off for this proposal?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: I understand that. With respect, I have limited time. My question is a direct one.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: The Cabinet has paused the process for a number of weeks. Is it paused on the basis that following hearings such as this one, there could be fresh discussions with St. Vincent's Holdings CLG or is it the view of the Minister that he will go back to Cabinet next week, after these meetings, to sign off on what could have been signed off on last week?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: In not ruling anything out, is it possible that we could have fresh discussions with the St. Vincent's hospital group?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: If there is no potential for further movement, why have these hearings at all? Is this an exercise for the Minister to sell this deal? He has the right to do that. We were told this was an exercise in scrutiny. Many people have concerns. Is this discussion being held on the basis that this agreement is a fait accompli? I have heard the Minister say he is listening. It seems that on the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: The Minister and Dr. Mahony said earlier, and I do not dispute it, that the religious order's involvement in this has ended, that the Religious Sisters of Charity has fully divested all of its interests and that its interests and the land have essentially been gifted to St. Vincent's Holdings, which I think happened on 22 April. Is that correct?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: St. Vincent's Healthcare Group now owns the land.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: It is in the gift of St. Vincent's Healthcare Group to gift the land to the State, is it not, if it wanted to or was asked to do so?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: We will go into that in a moment.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: It is not the Minister's job to sell the message of St. Vincent's Healthcare Group. It is his job to stand up for taxpayers and the interests of the State. We know the view of St. Vincent's Healthcare Group as it has been expressed. There are some holes in that argument and I will get to those in a moment. However, my point is that before all of this, and this process has been going on...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: It is either a "Yes" or a "No". I do not want long legal arguments. It either has the legal right to gift the land to the State if it chooses or it does not.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: We will not agree on that because the State does not own the land. We know the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group will own the land and that there is a lease arrangement-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: We know there is a lease arrangement for 299 years. That is not contested, but we cannot then credibly argue that the State owns the land. The group owns the land. It could gift the land in its entirety to the State, which would remove the need for all the companies that have to be set up. It would enable the HSE to build a HSE hospital on the land. If other clinicians could not shake...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: I will not go down this route.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: I am stating facts as outlined by St. Vincent's Healthcare Group in its published fact sheet, which states that group is the owner of the land. I do not dispute the State has a lease - it does - but the owner of the land is St. Vincent's Healthcare Group.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: I will move back to the Minister because I want him to answer the questions. A new company is being set up, namely, the National Maternity Hospital at Elm Park DAC. Is that correct?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: That will have directors coming from three different sources.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: That company will essentially run and operate the hospital.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (11 May 2022)
David Cullinane: It will run and operate the hospital, however.