Cabinet set to approve maternity hospital but Green minister refuses to commit

Catherine Martin says she is awaiting feedback before giving her view

Catherine Martin, who has refused to give her backing to the project, despite Green leader Eamon Ryan's strong defence of the move. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

The Cabinet looks set to approve the National Maternity Hospital plan next week despite Arts Minister Catherine Martin refusing to commit to backing it.

All Fine Gael ministers now support the 300-year lease plan, according to a spokesman for Tánaiste Leo Varadkar.

Both Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Stephen Donnelly, the health minister, said they expect the plan to proceed.

However Ms Martin — despite her party leader Eamon Ryan’s strong defence of the proposed move to St Vincent’s Hospital — said she was awaiting feedback before giving her view.

“It is of chief importance that the clinical independence of the National Maternity Hospital is crystal clear. Minister Martin awaits the observations that will be brought back to Government,” her spokesman told the Irish Examiner.

Despite their voices being among the chief objectors to the plan proceeding last week, all Fine Gael ministers now “support the plans”.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin insisted that fears around the National Maternity Hospital proposals have been 'comprehensively addressed' and the project will go ahead. Picture: Sam Boal /Rollingnews.ie

“The reason for deferring the matter for another two weeks was to allow consultation with the parliamentary parties and wider society so that all documents could be published, people’s questions answered, views heard and any concerns acknowledged,” the Tánaiste’s spokesman said.

The compulsory purchase of the proposed site of the new National Maternity Hospital could delay the project by another 15 years, Mr Donnelly has said, adding that the State would have to demonstrate in court that it needed to own the land.

“That would take too damn long,” he said.

“If we were to start again, there'll be no guarantee of co-location, which means, less good specialist care for women. And I think we could well be adding 10 to 15 years to the project. And I simply do not believe that we should do that.

We've been talking about this for long enough; we need to get this hospital built.

The Taoiseach insisted that fears around the National Maternity Hospital proposals have been "comprehensively addressed," and the project will go ahead.

Mr Martin confirmed that the Government will press ahead with the plan to build the new hospital on the site of St Vincent's Hospital, despite concerns around the ownership structure and delivery of all services.

Mr Donnelly will meet Fine Gael TDs and senators who have raised questions around the proposals before attending the Oireachtas health committee on Wednesday morning.