Simon Harris urges end to maternity hospital dispute

New Minister for Health Simon Harris has called on those involved in the dispute over the governance of the National Maternity Hospital after its proposed relocation to "put their egos to one side".

Mr Harris said on East Coast FM on Saturday morning: “The people of Ireland, the expectant mothers of Ireland, do not care about your bureaucratic row.”

Management at St Vincent’s Hospital and the National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street are at odds over the governance of the new facility.

Mr Harris said he will not allow the possibility of a new maternity hospital to be “jeopardised by rows over governance and fiefdom”.

The Wicklow/East Carlow TD said he was looking forward to taking on “the greatest challenge of my life” and called for a political consensus around health as “you cannot run the health service on a couple of years long policy”.

Transfer

Meanwhile, Mr Harris's predecessor Leo Varadkar has insisted his transfer from the Health portfolio is not a demotion.

Speaking after Taoiseach Enda Kenny opted on Friday to appoint Mr Harris to the Health portfolio and reassign Mr Varadkar to Social Protection, Mr Varadkar said: “I don’t see it as a demotion, but it may be a sideways move”.

Mr Varadkar, who received his seal of office on Friday night, noted his new department had the largest budget and impacted on the lives of a huge number of people.

It is the first time in almost 30 years a Fine Gael minister has been in charge of Social Protection.

Mr Varadkar did admit that “in some ways I am sorry to be losing health”.

"In the period I was there we were able to increase the government by €1 billion and start delighted. And I was delighted to get the children's hospital over the line at long last," he told RTÉ Radio One on Saturday.

The new Cabinet is:

Department of Social Protection: Leo Varadkar

Finance: Michael Noonan

Public Expenditure and Reform: Paschal Donohoe

Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Michael Creed

Justice and Equality: Frances Fitzgerald (Tánaiste)

Children and Youth Affairs: Katherine Zappone

Health: Simon Harris

Foreign Affairs and Trade: Charlie Flanagan

Education and Skills: Richard Bruton

Housing, Planning and Local Government: Simon Coveney

Communications, Climate Change and Natural Resources: Denis Naughten

Transport, Tourism and Sport: Shane Ross

Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht: Heather Humphreys

Defence: Enda Kenny

Minister of State at Departments of the Taoiseach and Defence with Special Responsibility for Defence: Paul Kehoe