Rabbitte in vicious attack on Martin

LABOUR leader Pat Rabbitte yesterday launched an extraordinary attack on Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin, asserting he “lied” over the nursing home charges scandal.

The unprecedented accusation by a party leader against a senior minister sparked a furious political row last night, with Mr Martin dismissing the claims as unsubstantiated “abuse”.

Mr Rabbitte added that he had done everything possible to force the “cowardly” cabinet minister from office - short of physically belting him.

Asked what Mr Martin had “lied” about, the Labour leader said: “About him not knowing about the scale and gravity, legal, political, financial implications of the issue.”

The affair erupted into a national controversy late last year when it was revealed the State had been illegally charging residents of nursing homes.

The oversight looks set to cost the exchequer over €1 billion in compensation claims.

The Travers report into the matter pointed the finger of blame at civil servants rather than politicians.

But Mr Rabbitte said: “Fianna Fáil at times has a difficult and uncomfortable relationship with the truth and accountability.

“The Travers report didn’t clear Micheál Martin, but it was written in such a fashion that it allowed him and his advisers to mount a defence. In any other parliament he would have had to walk the plank.”

Mr Rabbitte’s remarks drew an angry response from Mr Martin, who accused the Labour leader of engaging in “exaggeration and invention”.

“There is nothing new in Pat Rabbitte’s approach, he has never let the facts get in the way of his political attacks and this case is no different. His career is full of examples of him exaggerating and inventing for the sake of being able to have a go at opponents.

“A comprehensive independent inquiry looked at all of the evidence and confirmed that briefings were ‘superficial and completely inadequate’.

“Once again Pat Rabbitte has refused to back up his assertions with anything - because yet again he has nothing to add other than abuse,” the minister said.

Insisting Mr Martin had adopted a “cowardly” defence at the time of the Travers inquiry, Mr Rabbitte expressed his frustration at the minister remaining in power.

“The whole attitude here of himself and several of his colleagues is to weather the storm and keep their heads down,” he said.

“He adopted a very cowardly defence. It is simply just not credible to say ‘I got the brief, I didn’t read it and I didn’t understand it’.”

Mr Martin was Health Minister until switching to the Enterprise role in September 2004.

The illegal charging of care home residents began in the mid 1970s.