In December 2018, the Minister for Health announced that agreement had been reached with St. Vincent's Healthcare Group for the Sisters of Charity to withdraw completely from that operation. He said it was guaranteed that the new National Maternity Hospital would be retained in public ownership and with public ethos. Eleven months later, that agreement has yet to be finalised. We were promised the legal documents early in 2019, but no legal documents are available. In recent days, we have learned that this agreement will require the approval of the Vatican if it is to proceed. Does the Taoiseach accept that it was reckless of the Government to commit €43 million to the first phase of this hospital while it is still essentially in the private ownership of the Sisters of Charity? Can he give the House a guarantee that no further public money will be spent on the new National Maternity Hospital until that agreement has been absolutely signed and sealed?

I think we made the right decision when we decided to replace our very old and out of date maternity hospitals with new buildings and to co-locate them on the sites of adult hospitals. Holles Street hospital will be co-located with St. Vincent's hospital, the Rotunda Hospital will be co-located with Blanchardstown hospital and the Coombe will be co-located at the new healthcare campus beside the children's hospital and St. James's Hospital. All three of those hospitals, including Holles Street, are privately owned. The difference is that when the new ones are built, they will be publicly owned. They will be State-owned buildings on State land. We need to sort out the details of the legal transfer over the next couple of weeks.

You have been talking about it for a year now. It has taken more than a year.

I know, but I am afraid I do not have jurisdiction over the Vatican.

You should not be spending public money on it.