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26 15:56:

Holles Street board re-endorses deal to move maternity hospital

Meanwhile, Health Minister Simon Harris said the compulsory purchase of the site is ‘not the solution’.

Updated 9.20pm

THE BOARD OF the national maternity hospital at Holles Street has passed a motion to re-endorse the agreement it reached with St Vincent’s Healthcare Group (SVHG) last November.

There has been growing controversy about the issue in recent days, with fears the Sisters of Charity, the principal shareholder in the SVHG, would influence the type of procedures carried out at the new hospital, which is set to be built on the same campus as St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin 4.

In a statement released following the meeting tonight, the board said: “This agreement provides that the clinical, financial and operational independence of the national maternity hospital at Elm Park shall be enshrined in its memorandum and articles of association and all related legal agreements.”

Can’t watch video? Click here

Earlier, Health Minister Simon Harris said the use of a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to buy the site at St Vincent’s Hospital “is not the ideal solution by any way, manner or means” to the controversy.

The Wicklow TD said he did not want to say anything that would “further inflame the situation”, stating that he has called for a “period of calm” over the next month.

The Sisters of Charity are to be given ownership of the hospital in return for providing the site.

Labour TD Alan Kelly has suggested that a CPO could be used by the government to take control of the site. The idea was also raised by former master of the national maternity hospital (NMH) Dr Peter Boylan.

However, speaking to reporters today, Harris said:

We don’t need to be caught up in potential legal difficulties for a large number of years. We also have to remember the site is being donated free of charge.

The issue was also discussed at today’s Cabinet meeting, where both Minister of State for Disabilities Finian McGrath and Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone said the hospital should be built on the St Vincent’s site.

Harris said he informed his Cabinet colleagues today that he wishes to the use the “window of calm” to tease out the issues of concern.

The issue of religious interferences is dealt with in black and white in the agreement … We have an agreement, that is the heads of an agreement, we need it in contractual and legal obligations, and I am asking for a month to tease through those issues.
What I am very clear of is the law of the land will apply at the National Maternity Hospital.

A government source said there should be “no ambiguity” that the hospital will be built on the St Vincent’s Hospital site. “It is absolutely going ahead,” they added.

Dr Rhona Mahony

The Master of the National Maternity Hospital also defended the decision to relocate the new hospital on grounds owned by a religious order, saying that they will have complete control over medical procedures and governance.

On Morning Ireland today, Dr Rhona Mahony said the hospital will be independent and retain their medical practices without religious interference.

It’s the board’s duty to do their best for women and babies. We will not mention any religious, ethnic or other distinction [in hospital governance].

“We will have the termination of pregnancy just as we do today. The nuns will not be involved.”

When asked about the clear dispute over governance, Mahony said they are the first of the colocations, but the integrity of their services and autonomy over them will be protected.

“This is a separate company and it is very likely that in time that there will be a lease arrangement, [ownership over the building is] a technical issue over land.

This hospital will be entirely independent – it’s black and white agreement.

“The nuns do not want to run this hospital.

It will be an independent hospital with an independent board. We will practice contraception, IVF, termination of pregnancy to save a woman’s life and in the future, we will expand services according to the law.

Boylan’s resignation

Dr Peter Boylan, a former master of the maternity hospital, was asked to resign from Holles Street’s board at the weekend after he voiced his concerns about the colocation.

This was decried as a silencing of opinion, but Mahony denies that was the reason, saying it was an issue of “corporate governance, not over opinion”.

She said the vote to colocate with the Sisters of Charity was overwhelming: “25 voted in favour, one voted against and three abstentions”.

There was no division in the National Maternity Hospital in relation to this move. Peter Boylan might have voted against if he disagreed.

She added that the new maternity hospital was important: “We are practicing medicine in the 21st century in a hospital that is crumbling.”

With reporting by Christina Finn and Órla Ryan

Read: Here is the deal reached by St Vincent’s and Holles Street over the new National Maternity Hospital

Factfind: Could compulsory purchase be used for the maternity hospital and what would it cost?

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234 Comments
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    Mute Dotty Dunleary
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:30 PM

    Crush their cars and rip up the driving licences while you’re at it…

    702
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    Mute David Dickson
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:43 PM

    @Dotty Dunleary: have you still got a licence that you could rip?

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    Mute jenni
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:58 PM

    @Dotty Dunleary: I wouldn’t crush that Lamborghini…but tbh I would have bothered buying a lambo in Ireland. Other than motorways, the roads are shi?e.

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    Mute Michael Powell
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:02 PM

    @jenni: what Lamborghini?

    44
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    Mute Dotty Dunleary
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:08 PM

    @jenni: Looks like a UK Reg Ferrari…

    Though probably just a Toyota MR2 with a bodykit…

    67
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    Mute Dotty Dunleary
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:09 PM

    @David Dickson: Old Skool!

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    Mute David Dickson
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:18 PM

    @Dotty Dunleary: just like the guards with their mph.

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    Mute David Edwards
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:11 PM

    @jenni: it’s a Ferrari alright and impound and crush laws like Australia wouldn’t go astray here I’d say

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    Mute Stephen Foster
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:49 PM

    @jenni: looks more like a Ferrari 288 GTO. Good ole Magnam PI.

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    Mute ウィリアム はげ
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    Jun 4th 2018, 10:22 PM

    @Stephen Foster: you’d have to be very brave or stupid to do 178km in that old piece of junk though. Most likely that was the micra in the background.

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    Mute Jack
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    Jun 4th 2018, 11:01 PM

    @ウィリアム はげ: 178 is 110 in old money. Any Ferrari is well capable of safely handling that speed. Especially on a motorway. Even lesser Ferrari’s like the 288

    9
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    Mute David Dickson
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:37 PM

    “The car caught speeding, drink driving, and driving the wrong way around a roundabout in Donegal”
    Wait till that car gets home the owner will batter it for messing about. No petrol for a month.

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    Mute Jonathan Power
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    Jun 5th 2018, 8:21 AM

    @David Dickson: he was probably practicing for the rally next weekend. That does be carnage around town bits of cars everywhere

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    Mute Alan Lynch
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:27 PM

    160kph on a motorway is nothing to any modern car. Motorway speed limits need to be revised

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    Mute Finbarr Lucey
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:10 PM

    It’s nothing to a modern car but it’s the idiot behind the wheel doing that speed would cause an accident.

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    Mute kevinhunt101
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:23 PM

    @Finbarr Lucey: on a straight road it’s grand with not much traffic. A good car doesn’t feel like it’s even going that fast

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    Mute Van Transport Johnny O'Connor
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:58 PM

    @Alan Lynch: nothing until you need to stop in a hurry

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    Mute Patrick J. O'Rourke
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    Jun 4th 2018, 10:05 PM

    @Van Transport Johnny O’Connor: Or a sheep walks across the road.

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    Mute heavyhits
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    Jun 4th 2018, 10:40 PM

    @Alan Lynch: Irish drivers are very specific, so better keep the limits.

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    Mute Ohhh_reeally
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    Jun 5th 2018, 9:41 AM

    @Alan Lynch: no they don’t. The speed limits take account of a lot more factors than the cars capabilities.

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    Mute Dotty Dunleary
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    Jun 5th 2018, 10:39 AM

    @Alan Lynch: No they don’t and you’re completely wrong!

    A BMW. Audi, Merc etc,. etc. may well be able to comfortably cruise at 160kph, however the Irish motorway isn’t designed to safely handle cars traveling at that velocity.

    Irish M roads are basically dual carriageways with a higher speed limit. Autobahn’s they are not!

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    Mute Mark Boyle
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    Jun 5th 2018, 1:06 PM

    @Dotty Dunleary: What’s the difference between an Irish motorway and a German one?

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    Mute Alan Lynch
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    Jun 5th 2018, 1:50 PM

    @Dotty Dunleary: to say I’m “completely wrong” is a bit off.
    The majority of modern cars are built to easily crack 160kph. I’m not saying that should be the limit but 130-140 is perfectly responsible in my opinion.

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    Mute SlinkyDog
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:43 PM

    Are we still using mph?

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    Mute William Kelly
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    Jun 5th 2018, 6:38 AM

    @SlinkyDog: yes, we are still using mph, a lot.
    All the UK imports & N.I vehicles have mph speedos, with kph in lower case.

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    Mute John Flood
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    Jun 5th 2018, 6:43 AM

    @SlinkyDog: the UK chose to keep imperial measurements, I think we should have too. The EU extended the choice to us but we kept metric.

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    Mute Nick Caffrey
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    Jun 5th 2018, 8:09 AM

    @John Flood: No. We are Europeans, not backward facing English.

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    Mute Gareth Cooney
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:14 PM

    The Nardai must have been dizzy tailing that guy round the roundabout.
    But then again, when a Nard is dizzy, a Nard is bizzy What?

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    Mute Ohhh_reeally
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    Jun 5th 2018, 9:45 AM

    @Gareth Cooney: Nardai!! I hope that’s your Da in the profile picture and you’re just a little kid. If not then you’re an idiot

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    Mute Frank Dubogovik
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:29 PM

    my old qashqai couldn’t even get up to that speed

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    Mute Jonathan Power
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    Jun 5th 2018, 8:23 AM

    @Frank Dubogovik: you’re lucky there terrible top heavy dreadful handling you’d flip it turn it over

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    Mute John Murphy
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:57 PM

    Weeeeeeeeeeeeee !!!!

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    Mute Joseph Molloy
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:45 PM

    The Gardas should be out everyday. They are waste

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    Mute Michael Powell
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:03 PM

    @Joseph Molloy: they are 24hr 365days a year. You just worry about collecting your dole once a week.

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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Jun 4th 2018, 8:25 PM

    @Joseph Molloy: not enough of them

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    Mute David Edwards
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:46 PM

    @Michael Powell: to be fair I’ve been living in Ireland full time since 2008 and have been breath tested once, there’s no deterrent here, in Melbourne 3/4 times a month wouldn’t even unusual

    12
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    Mute Drew P. Baulsach
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    Jun 4th 2018, 10:23 PM

    @David Edwards: seems to be very dependent on where you are in the country. I’ve gone through one, ever, but my dad might go through one a week. I’m in offaly, he’s in kildare.

    10
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    Mute Philip Mckenna
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    Jun 5th 2018, 12:59 AM

    @Drew P. Baulsach: very true I have lived in roscommon for 13 years never been tested once, was in Dublin for a wedding last year was tested twice in 3 days!

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    Mute Hans Vos
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    Jun 5th 2018, 9:28 AM

    @Drew P. Baulsach: I’m in Tipperary for 25 years and never been stopped for drink control. Only for roadtax and insurance control.

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    Mute Ohhh_reeally
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    Jun 5th 2018, 9:47 AM

    @David Edwards: I lived I’m Melbourne for 4 years and was never once breath tested

    2
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    Mute Ohhh_reeally
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    Jun 5th 2018, 9:47 AM

    @Hans Vos: no such thing as road tax control

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    Mute Hans Vos
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    Jun 5th 2018, 11:46 AM

    @Ohhh_reeally: oh reeally? You never stopped by the Garda for tax disk control.

    4
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    Mute Ohhh_reeally
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    Jun 5th 2018, 4:30 PM

    @Hans Vos: no. Stopped at checkpoints where all required documents were checked.. not tax control as you call it

    1
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    Mute Hans Vos
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    Jun 5th 2018, 8:39 PM

    @Ohhh_reeally: maybe not in Melbourne but in Ireland they never asked me for documents but only look if you have your disk’s displayed.

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    Mute Dermot Foley
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    Jun 4th 2018, 7:39 PM

    Absolutely disgusting tbh. But absolutely hilarious too.

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    Mute Christina Sherwin Russell
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    Jun 5th 2018, 4:06 AM

    Name and shame as they do here in ontario

    15
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    Mute Eric Gaffney
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:43 PM

    Unlikely to be perceived as toxic.

    4
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    Mute Stephen Mullin
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    Jun 5th 2018, 6:24 AM

    It wasn’t me Judge – It was my drunkin self drive Tesla !!

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    Mute LikeSeriouslySue
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    Jun 4th 2018, 9:38 PM

    a court appearance is hardly a deterrent – the message is not being heard. It should be treated like intent of assault with a deadly weapon.justice system in ireland is a joke and people know it,

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    Mute anthony o cathain
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    Jun 5th 2018, 11:42 AM

    3 yrs please

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    Mute Divad Nayr
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    Jun 4th 2018, 10:26 PM

    Absolutely discussing, that’s a Ferrari 288 GTO , not a Lamborghini.

    1
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