Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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901. To ask the Minister for Health the arrangements he is making to protect the public interest in the new national maternity hospital; if public interest directors will be appointed to its board and to the board of the St Vincent's Hospital Group at Elm Park, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34625/17]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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902. To ask the Minister for Health if management fees or other fees will be payable by the new national maternity hospital to the St Vincent's Hospital Group at Elm Park, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34626/17]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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903. To ask the Minister for Health the arrangements he is making to ensure that the St Vincent's Hospital Group at Elm Park, Dublin, cannot raise borrowings on the assets of the new national maternity hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34627/17]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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904. To ask the Minister for Health if the board of the national maternity hospital will be accountable to the board of the St Vincent's Hospital Group at Elm Park, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34628/17]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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905. To ask the Minister for Health if the board and chief executive of the St Vincent's Hospital Group at Elm Park, Dublin, will have an influence over the policies and finances of the national maternity hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34629/17]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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906. To ask the Minister for Health the progress he and his officials have made on the arrangements between his Department, the national maternity hospital at Holles Street and St Vincent’s healthcare group which he was due to report to Dáil Éireann on at the end of May 2017; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34630/17]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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921. To ask the Minister for Health if the proposed new national maternity hospital will be retained in public ownership; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34675/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 901 to 906, inclusive, and 921 together.

The Deputy can be assured that there has been extensive engagement between my Department and the St Vincent's Healthcare Group (SVHG) over the last few weeks, to agree the mechanism by which the State investment in the new National Maternity Hospital, on the St Vincent's University Hospital campus, will be protected. Discussions have been led by the Secretary General, and have, I am advised, been very constructive to date.

The discussions have also been very comprehensive and have taken somewhat longer than originally anticipated. As the discussions are not yet concluded, the Deputy will appreciate that it would be premature for me to disclose any great detail at this stage. However, I can confirm that it will be necessary to draw up a detailed legal agreement between the parties which will require further engagement with SVHG, NMH and the Department. It is my intention to bring the terms of the proposed agreement, in due course, to Government prior to approval.

With regard to the governance arrangements for the new hospital, the terms of the Mulvey agreement provide for the establishment of a new company - "The National Maternity Hospital at Elm Park DAC (limited by shares)”. As that agreement was essentially a framework agreement, further work is required to define and clarify issues in the context of the establishment of the new DAC. However it is clear, that the new company will have clinical and operational, as well as financial and budgetary independence in the provision of maternity, gynaecology and neonatal services.