merrion street

The Minister outlined his position very clearly on this yesterday and remains fully committed to this hugely important project and long overdue state of the art hospital for the provision of maternity services to women and babies in this country. The Minister is pleased that NMH and SVHG have agreed to work together to bring this about and he looks forward to working with all stakeholders to deliver this new National Maternity Hospital. The Minister is confident that the criteria which he has identified will be met as the project proceeds, subject to planning approval, through the various development stages. Further stages of the process involve the Minister discharging his duties with various parties by putting in place appropriate legal mechanisms. This will include arrangements to secure the State's interest, which apply in all capital projects on voluntary hospital sites to protect the State's investment. The Minister himself will formally sanction these arrangements. The clinical, operational and financial independence of the new hospital as provided for in the agreement will also be copperfastened in new legal arrangements.  

Down through the years the State’s capital investment in voluntary hospitals has served patients in this country very well and there have been many successful developments with public funding. Such development in conjunction with voluntary hospitals has been policy over successive Governments. For example, it has in recent times included major investments at the Mater Hospital, a €266m public investment opened in 2012/2013, and the Nutley Wing at St.Vincent’s University Hospital, a €29m public investment opened in 2012.