Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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49. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide a detailed update on the discussions with a group (details supplied) with regard to the ownership and management of the new national maternity hospital; if he has considered any other sites for this hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37722/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Promotion of Women’s Health is a priority for this Government. In that regard, the Government is committed to the development of the new National Maternity Hospital planned for the St Vincent’s campus. The proposed corporate and clinical governance arrangements were set out in the Mulvey Agreement. This Agreement provides for the establishment of a new company – National Maternity Hospital at Elm Park DAC - which will have clinical and operational, as well as financial and budgetary, independence in the provision of maternity, gynaecology and neonatal services. The draft legal framework that has been developed is designed to copperfasten these arrangements.

While, as stated previously, my preferred option would be that the site for the new hospital was owned by the State, under the draft legal framework the State would lease the site from St Vincent’s for 99 years, with scope for a further 50-year renewal.

However, I will not bring any proposal to Government unless it provides the necessary assurances in relation to, firstly, ensuring that all legally permissible services are provided at the new hospital and, secondly, protection of the State’s investment.

In that context, there will be further engagement with all stakeholders in relation to this project, as we move toward the finalisation of the legal arrangements. However, I will not be making any further comment on the nature of this engagement until it concludes.