Taoiseach pledges no religious constraints on new maternity hospital

THE Taoiseach has pledged that the new maternity hospital will not be constrained by any religious ethos.

Micheál Martin said the new hospital will be fully owned by the State, and fully controlled by the State.

It has emerged that the cost of the new hospital could be up to €800 million – a jump from the original costing of €150 million.

Speaking during a doorstep interview in Carrigaline on Saturday, the Taoiseach said: “From my perspective, the ideal position is that when the State had invested so much in a new hospital, that the State should own that hospital and the land on which it is built. 

"The key point is of course that in terms of the hospital itself, it will serve the women of Ireland and will not be influenced in terms of any religious ethos whatsoever, I am very confident about that aspect of it.”

The site for the new hospital is on the grounds of the St Vincent Hospital Group (SVHG) in Dublin.

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