The health minister says St Vincent's hospital is being unfairly portrayed as "a convent" by critics of the new maternity hospital.
Simon Harris is calling for "cool heads" as he looks to tease out any issues surrounding plans for nuns to own the new facility on the St Vincent's site.
He's said a compulsory purchase of the site - as called for by Dublin's Lord Mayor - would not be the best way to proceed.
And he's hit out at some critics for their unfair depiction of the way in which St Vincent's is run:
However there are renewed calls this evening for a compulsory purchase order for the site of the new National Maternity Hospital.
The idea is being put forward as a way to ensure there is no religious influence in the hospital, which will be owned by nuns.
The government says it's determined to move on with building the hospital, and does not consider the ownership a live issue.
Labour's health spokesman Alan Kelly says Simon Harris still has work to do:
