Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said the Government will not be making any changes to the proposed deal on the new National Maternity Hospital which is expected to get Cabinet approval on Tuesday.
There had been repeated calls for the phrase “clinically appropriate” to be removed or amended as there are fears the term places power in the hands of clinicians to decide whether a woman can have a procedure or not, such as abortion.
Mr Martin confirmed on Monday that the phrase will not be removed.
He said: “We haven’t made changes to the legal documents.
“The legal documents were agreed between the three parties, the HSE, the national maternity hospital and St Vincent’s Holdings.
“It’s very, very clear that the Government decision will be very clear also that all lawfully permitted services will be provided by this new hospital of that there will be no question and the documents are very clear about that and the legal advice we have received from the Attorney General is very, very clear about that in terms of the constitution of the new hospital, the operating licence and the Minister's Golden Share.
“The legal documents stand.”
The Chair of the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group, James Menton told the Dail’s Health Committee that it would be possible to remove or define the term “clinically appropriate” before the plan goes back before Cabinet on Tuesday.
Mr Menton also told the Committee that St Vincent’s Healthcare Group (SVHG) held discussions with the Department of Health about selling the land earmarked for the NMH “five or six years ago.”
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said in the Dail that SVHG were not willing to transfer the land to the State.
In response to questioning from Social Democrats co-leader Roisin Shortall, Mr Menton said the current government had not made such a request.
However, the Taoiseach has said it is his understanding that the Government did approach SVHG on the matter and that this resulted in them leasing the land for 299 years.
Mr Mention said that SVHG maintaining ownership of the land was “essential for best possible care.”
He told the Health Committee that having two landowners on the same wider campus would be “very difficult, if not impossible, to manage” and that it would ”present significant risks to patient care”.
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