Last week, Deputy Whitmore asked if either the Taoiseach or the Minister for Health had spoken to the two members of the HSE board who did not sign off on the national maternity hospital deal - law professor Deirdre Madden and patient advocate Dr. Sarah McLoughlin. The Taoiseach bristled at the very suggestion that it was "a new departure to even consider hearing from individual board members who happen to take a particular stance on a particular issue". Imagine my surprise when I opened the Irish Examiner today and saw a lengthy column from HSE board member Fergus Finlay explaining why he supported the deal. The Taoiseach referenced the article earlier. Can the Taoiseach clarify whether it is his view that it is only those HSE board members who agree with the deal who should speak publicly about it? If that is not his view, can he confirm that he has no problem with either Professor Madden or Dr. McLoughlin attending the Joint Committee on Health this week to outline her concerns about this deal?

First of all, I did not bristle. That presentation of what transpired in this House is wrong. I merely made the point that in terms of-----

That is a direct quote.

I did not bristle. Generally speaking, if a board is a board, it takes collective decisions. It has emerged that in respect of this issue, two members of the HSE board recorded their dissent from the decision that was taken in the minutes. I have no issues with people articulating their view but legally, the HSE board has to take a collective view and a decision on an issue put before it in documentation.

Could the Taoiseach answer the question?

I just have. I said I did not have an issue.

Can they come before the Oireachtas committee?

Having listened to the Taoiseach earlier during Leaders' Questions, I put it to him that he is out of touch with the mood of the country on the issue of the national maternity hospital. He has had more than a week to make his case but polling still shows a majority against his plan. People want a State hospital on State land and 100% certainty that procedures opposed by the Catholic Church will be available there. They will be making their views very clear outside the gates of Leinster House at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

The State should not be renting the land for our national maternity hospital from a company connected to an order of nuns and nor should that company have three directors on the board of the hospital. When the people voted for repeal, they voted to throw all of the old rubbish out of the house and into the dustbin of history. Why is the Government now trying to drag it back in?

The only interest I and the Government have is to provide a modern hospital and to make sure all services legally permitted in this State, for which people voted, will be provided and that the best of facilities will be provided for babies, premature babies in particular. That is the only interest we have. This has dragged on since 2013 and I believe sincerely that we need to get this hospital built. It is going to take some years to get it built with all of the procedures involved in the physical preparations and so on.