We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
THE GOVERNMENT IS concerned about “problems” with the development of the new national maternity hospital built on land transferred from a religious order.
The proposed national maternity hospital is earmarked for Elm Park in Dublin on land that has been owned by the Sisters of Charity – but the Tánaiste has said there are “problems, quite frankly, in going forward with this project”.
The Sisters of Charity said last year that it would “gift” the land worth €200 million to the State, with ownership being transferred from the order to a new body called St Vincent’s Holdings.
Services would be transferred from Holles Street to the new hospital and share a campus with St Vincent’s Hospital, where one building is still owned by the Sisters of Charity and is leased to St Vincent’s Healthcare Group.
The Minister of Health has previously iterated that the religious order will have no influence on the new national maternity hospital, but the Tánaiste says that there are other key problems with the project.
Speaking at Leaders’ Questions this afternoon, Leo Varadkar said that he thinks “we all respect and value the role played by the Sisters of Charity in providing healthcare and education down the years when the State did not and I think we all support the building of a new national maternity hospital at Elm Park”.
“We need it and women need those modern facilities. But there are problems, quite frankly, in going forward with this project,” he said.
The hospital will be owned by the State and its constitution, memorandum and legal documents “guarantee” that services available in Holles Street will be provided in the new hospital, the Tánaiste said.
This includes procedures such as terminations, sterilisations, and IVF.
“But the government does have a big concern about two other aspects,” Varadkar said.
The first problem is the ownership of the land the hospital will be built on.
“That has not been gifted to the state, it has been gifted to a private charity, and it’s proposed that there be a 99-year lease to the state,” he said.
We have a difficulty with that, we don’t think the safeguards around that are strong enough that the land will be owned by a private charity rather than the State, and only a 99-year lease being provided.
The government also has problems with the governance of the hospital.
“It’s going to be voluntary. That’s okay. There are lots of voluntary hospitals and they work very well,” he said.
“However, the board will not be appointed by the government, and that’s areal difficulty too, because a hospital that is fully funded by the State or almost fully funded by the State should have a significant number or majority of members of the board appointed by the government, in my view, and that’s the problem that we face at the moment.”
Two things we’re happy enough about – owning the hospital, the guarantee that all procedures legal in the state will be provided in the hospital – but a difficulty around the ownership of the land it’s going to be on. not happy with the lease proposal, and not happy with the governance arrangements, and we are working through those things at the moment.
Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith raised the new national maternity hospital at Leaders’ Questions, saying she was concerned by a potential religious influence over the services that it would provide.
Smith is meeting Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly this afternoon to discuss the issue.
Varadkar said that “from the point of view of the government, it is an absolute requirement that the Constitution for the new hospital must specify that any procedures and treatments that are legal in the state are available in that hospital. Full stop. There can be no ambiguity about that.”
He said the ideal scenario would be ownership of the site, but that the integration of the building with the existing hospital on the campus makes it “tricky”.
“But I agree that that would be the preferred option or certainly a better option than what’s being proposed now, which is 99-year lease with certain guarantees, but not adequate in the view of the government at the moment.”
Earlier this month, the Sisters of Charity asked the Minister for Health to facilitate the land transfer as a priority.
“Our legal documents to transfer the ownership of St Vincent’s Healthcare Group to the new independent charity are ready,” a spokesperson for the order said.
“We have done everything in our power to expedite the transfer to the new independent charity, St Vincent’s Holdings, and we call on the other parties involved, including the Minister for Health, to take all actions necessary to facilitate the completion of the transfer as soon as possible.”
Planning permission for the hospital was submitted in 2017.
The plans for the development include five operating theatres; 50 neonatal intensive care and special care single cot rooms; 24 delivery rooms; emergency and out-patient departments; ultrasound facilities; and single in-patient rooms.
A rally is being held outside the Dáil next Saturday by women’s rights activists who are calling on the government to ensure there is no religious influence over the new hospital.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
All church assets should be seized by CAB, and distributed back to the state. A cult should have no stake in matters of state.
@Ian Downes: A cult that profited from child-trafficking babies to ‘good Catholic families’ in the US, and they have the cheek to say they’re ‘gifting’ the land to the people who gave them the money to buy it in the first place.
Yeah main problem is this hospital should have been built on Greenfield site on the sphere of M50.
@Twitruser2021: Why should it. It’s not in the city centre and easily assessable by car, bus and Train.
@Roy Dowling: I just hope that staff can get parking as well. As James hospital is a sh!tshow for workers who commute from Louth, Meath, Westmeath, Kildare, Wicklow and further afield.
@Twitruser2021: It still could be built on a greenfield site, the land on Belgard road/Naas road amounting to 144 acres could be bought under compulsory purchase order as it is presently zoned as agricultural land and so could be purchased at a reasonable price from Iris Reit whose long term aim is to build blocks of apartments if they can get it rezoned despite the fact that permission is already granted for thousands of apartments on Belgard road/Airton road/Cookstown etc and there is no sewage available to service these developments. In addition the new hospital could be linked to Tallaght hospital and the location would serve the greater Dublin area and hinterland Wicklow/Kildare Meath etc and the southern counties. It is lunacy and regretful that the site at St Vincents Hospital is still being promoted with all the ongoing controversary.
@Roy Dowling: What train? What bus? By car?
Remember this is the National Maternity as opposed to South County Dublin Maternity (SoCoDum) Hospital.
@Twitruser2021: Won’t be anywhere near St James hospital so that won’t be a problem.
@ChronicAnxiety: yes the new National Maternity hospital going in on the grounds of St Vincents hospital. Sydney Parade Dart station is 5 minutes walk from the hospital. There is a bus stops right outside both entrances to hospital on Nutley lane and Marrion avenue. A multi story carpak and another one being built.
The charity : St Vincent’s holdings – who is on the board?
Who are the decision makers?
@Laura Mckay: I think I read somewhere that it’s the nuns.
@Laura Mckay: https://www.stvincents.ie/app/uploads/2020/05/ST.VINCENTS-HOLDINGS-CLG-Information-Sheet-14.05.2020
When will people wake up and get rid of these insidious snakes from our society?
What’s really going on here …the sisters of charity will cease to exist in 10/20 years not to mind 99 years..they just can’t seem to relinquish influence so common politicians take them and their vast legal apparatus on. You’ll have the vast majority of the country behind you…
@David cotter: spot on. They’ll be irrelevant by osmosis in less than a generation. Sounds like sandbagging to me. Get it built , progress, move on. These sorts of farcical debates is why it’s takes so long and costs so much to get anything done in this country.
The charity – St Vincent’s holdings, who is on the board?
Who are the decision makers?
@Laura Mckay: The Name; ‘St Vincents’ should give you a clue.
There was 32 acres in South Dublin in which RTE sat. They sold 16 acres but there are still 16 acres available. Kick RTE out and build the hospitals there.
RTE can find a home in Athlone.
Much better use of state land
have your say