Public ownership of National Maternity Hospital a 'red line issue'

Mr Varadkar said there is “always a risk” the hospital will not go ahead on the St Vincent’s Hospital site as planned if agreement cannot be reached.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said the public owning the National Maternity Hospital is a “red line issue for Government”.

Speaking at his Ard Fheis at the RDS in Dublin, Mr Varadkar said there is “always a risk” the hospital will not go ahead on the St Vincent’s Hospital site as planned if agreement cannot be reached.

He said the government is willing to buy the land if St Vincent’s are willing to sell it and insisted that all services must be available in the new hospital, free of any religious objection.

“The State would be happy to buy the size of the hospital. I heard reference to a statement from the Sisters of Charity that they were never approached. I am informed that there is correspondence from the Chairman of the Board of St Vincent's stating that they were not interested in discussing at the sale of that site. We are if it is the case that if it's healthcare, group, or the Sisters of Charity that they are interested in selling the land. We're willing to buy. It is as simple as that,” he said.

Mr Varadkar said the government and Fine Gael are very committed to this project.

“Our maternity paediatric hospitals in Ireland are very old, and we've planned over the next decade to replace them all with modern facilities that women and children in Ireland should have, and that's very much what this government's committed to,” he said.

During the week, Mr Varadkar flagged concerns over the governance and ownership of the hospital, with the St Vincent's site owned by the religious order the Sisters of Charity.

Asked on Saturday if the hospital might need to be moved on, he said: "Of course there is that risk, that's the reality of the situation."

Mr Varadkar said the State would be willing to buy the site if the Sisters of Charity are willing to sell.

He added: "This hospital has to be publicly owned and it has to be the case that any obstetric or gynaecological service that's legal in the State has to be available in that hospital."