Fergus Finlay: As a HSE board member, I support the new maternity hospital plans

Vital to have  a national maternity hospital that is open to every woman in Ireland, whatever her colour, ethnic origin, or income

A model of the new National Maternity Hospital on the St Vincent's campus.

THIS isn’t something I would normally do. As a member of the board of the HSE, I’m bound by normal confidentiality about the operations of the board, although of course all our minutes, and the minutes of committees, are regularly published. But the more I think about it the more I feel obliged to say something about the National Maternity Hospital.

The arrangements for the hospital are complicated and they have caused a lot of confusion and some distrust. I get that. There are people close to me, friends I respect, who believe that in some way we have sold the pass. That we’ve fallen under some malign influence or been codded up to the eyeballs by the Vatican and its secret service.