Mattie McGrath criticised the handling of the children's hospital site, defended the sisters of charity and said he will vote against the motion. He argued the controversy centres on abortion rather than delivering health services and highlighted growing waiting lists.
Main objections
McGrath said the children's hospital debate has exploded into controversy, accusing planners of choosing the wrong site and noting costs and delays. He said the original site was gifted by the sisters of charity on a 299-year lease and called for the project to be delivered and the site decision to be finalised.
Defence of the sisters of charity
He praised the sisters for historical work delivering health care, education, water and food around the world and criticised what he described as ongoing demonisation and attacks on religious orders. McGrath acknowledged that some heinous crimes were committed by clergy but emphasised the wider record of service by many nuns.
Waiting lists and services
McGrath highlighted long waiting lists across society, citing 12-month waits for gynaecological services and a 67% increase in waiting lists since March 2015. He contrasted these service failures with the focus of the current debate.
Abortion at centre of debate
He argued the controversy was driven by abortion politics rather than frontline services, calling the discussion a "phony debate" and saying abortion had been placed front and centre of the site dispute.
Parliamentary stance
McGrath said he will call for a vote against the motion and stand by the record of the sisters and others he described as dedicated to community service. He framed his position as defending service delivery and the reputation of religious workers.
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and when we see the waiting lists across every walk of society but 12 months waiting on gynecological services and waiting lists have increased by 67% since March 2015 and when we see this furore over this site and we see the whole way it has exploded and mushroomed up and there's not a mention of the children's hospital in a major hole somewhere not even been talked about now it's off the radar off the Richter scale three times the price in a wrong site first day we have a site gifted here by this good sisters of charity a 299 year lease so people want it and it's referred to the Sinn Fein of a hundred properties I didn't know you that much property but why don't you give away some of your free sites I've often been negotiating leases with schools and with boards of managers and different organisations, GA clubs and it's wonderful to get a lease of 30 years, 50 maybe and it's wonderful to get one in 99 but a get one of 299 was never had there can I say that there are there was a heinous crimes committed by some members of the of the clergy both male and female but the good that they've done all over the world is costing five and a half billion now for NGOs to go around the world their nuns did it for free they brought water education food health care all over the world they had a massive reputation in this country in the 19th and 20th century for delivering health care and all we can do now is demonise them and bad mouth them and wreck them and attack them it's shameful because they have no advice to speak and they are quiet people and they have people of prayer and faith and good by and large and they do great work I could name off 10 of them that I worked with and board of managers and whatever dedicated solely to the good of their communities they had no families of their own they went away and one of them has actually been buried today in Monaghan from my own area who gave a lifetime of service in Africa and that's what they did and they went away from their families and to be attacked under siege here every day and even Saturday when they couldn't come in he was at the gate attacking them it's sacrilege it's it's disgusting to be honest and I want to say that we certainly will be calling a vote against this motion if we're on our own so be it but we're proud to stand on the record of the good work and reputations of the sisters of many many orders and the police and the ladies whether it helped out so look this project has to be delivered get it done that given the site and stop it's all about abortion it's not about it's all about abortion not about services it's about abortion front line and centre as well as about a phony debate and that's what it's all about nothing else now we
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