The Social Democrats and other parties have been looking for several weeks for time to be allowed for a debate on the proposals on a national maternity hospital. There is growing public concern about the fact that the Government seems to be about to sign a deal with the Religious Sisters of Charity to gift the new national maternity hospital to them. There can be no justification for this. Why on earth would we hand over a valuable asset like that to a private entity, whether religious or otherwise? We are looking for time to be made available now to have a debate on that, because we do not want any behind-the-scenes secret deals done. We want a full debate here in the House on the implications of gifting the national maternity hospital, of all hospitals, to a religious body. It is unthinkable that the Government would go ahead with this. I cannot understand why the Tánaiste is not deeply embarrassed about the very idea of doing that.

The world is rightly expressing its utter outrage and revulsion at the despotism and warmongering of Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. I have asked at the Business Committee for the Government to facilitate a debate as a matter of urgency on a crisis every bit as horrific, involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen, where the UN recently reported there are now 13 million people on the brink of starvation. This is a war where Saudi Arabia is armed to the teeth by Britain and France and their lives count every bit as much. We need to discuss that crisis, which is reaching horrifying proportions, and decide whether we are going to take action against the Saudi Government. The Tánaiste led a trade mission there in November and it has been reported that he did not even raise human rights issues. I do not know if that is true but it is something that needs to be discussed because what is happening in Yemen is absolutely horrific.

I want to return to the national maternity hospital. I also want to ask that it goes down on the agenda for a debate. This is too important to be left to secret deals behind closed doors. It is too important to us as women. It is too important symbolically and in reality that we have a public maternity hospital on a public site, owned by the State. When my colleague, Deputy Joan Collins, raised it, as did all the other Deputies on this side of the House, the Taoiseach said he was open to putting it on the agenda but it has not happened. It seems when somebody is open to put it on the agenda, that means it does not go on the agenda. I am asking again for the record. I fully support Deputy Shortall and all the other Deputies who have asked. This is too big an issue to be left to men to do a deal in secret behind closed doors.