Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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26. To ask the Minister for Health his plans for maternity care in 2015, in view of the number of high profile maternity cases that occurred in 2014, highlighting serious deficiencies in Irish maternity care. [2336/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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My Department is currently developing a National Maternity Strategy in conjunction with the HSE which will be completed this year. The strategy will determine the optimal configuration of maternity services to ensure that women in Ireland have access to safe, high quality maternity care in a setting most appropriate to their needs. It will be informed by a national review and evaluation of maternity services being undertaken by the HSE.

A sum of €2m has been provided in the National Service Plan 2015 to address current pressures within maternity services. Additional obstetricians, midwives and other front line staff will be appointed. The HSE has also advised that a new National Maternity Office will be established within the HSE Acute Hospitals Division in 2015, and this I hope will drive further service improvement.

The relocation of the National Maternity Hospital from Holles Street to the St Vincent’s campus is also progressing and it is anticipated that a planning application will be submitted to An Bord Pleanala later this year. In addition, following the decision to locate the new children's hospital at St James's Hospital, and the need to achieve tri-location of adult, paediatric and maternity services on that campus, it is necessary to review the proposal to relocate the Coombe to Tallaght and the Rotunda to the Mater. Work has now commenced on that review and will be completed shortly.

My officials will, of course, continue to engage with the HSE, to monitor implementation of the recommendations of a number of reports on our maternity services, and, in particular, to ensure that robust clinical governance and management arrangements are in place for maternity services at hospital group level.