Martin holds firm in face of resignation calls
Although under intense opposition pressure to accept full responsibility for the failings of the Department of Health under his watch, Mr Martin rejected repeated calls for him to stand down and insisted he had never been informed of the urgency of the nursing home charges issue.
Former Health Department secretary general Michael Kelly said he had twice told Mr Martin of the pressing issue. However, the Travers report failed to uncover any documentary evidence that Mr Martin was made aware of the issue, leaving the opposition unable to land any significantly damaging blows.
Pressed on the issue in the Dáil, Mr Martin said he had never received what he would regard as a briefing. Mr Martin said he would expect a briefing on important topics to include an analysis, a presentation of options and some form of recommendation.
However, he was adamant that this had never happened.
“This issue was not flagged as a substantive issue. There were not alarm bells ringing,” he said.
Rejecting opposition claims that he ignored the issue because of its political implications, Mr Martin’s said he had always taken hard decisions during his ministerial career. He said opposition TDs had tried to pre-judge the report and were now trying to put a spin on its findings.
“Many people in this House have repeatedly tried to pre-empt and pre-judge this report. Now that it has been published, the same people are choosing to ignore the facts, which don’t suit their arguments,” he said.
“The culture of playing the man and not the ball and foundation-rocking is now so all pervasive for the opposition that they have no interest in serious debate.”
Pressed on who should take the blame for the charges issue, Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney backed the Travers report finding that the civil servants should bear the most responsibility.
“Any fair-minded person who reads this report could not, on the basis of this report, call on people to resign, let’s be fair,” she said.
Although she referred to Mr Kelly as a bright, committed and hard-working civil servant, Ms Harney made it clear she had been unhappy with the former secretary general’s performance.
“I asked for a report to the Government. It was incomplete and inaccurate. That is not acceptable to me,” she said.
In a debate in the Seanad, Minister of State with responsibility for children Brian Lenihan said: “I don’t believe any political blame can be attached to the minister (Mr Martin) or the Ministers of State.”
Mr Lenihan wasn’t present at the crucial December 2003 meeting in Dublin at which the illegal charges were discussed as part of the agenda.
But he said he didn’t study the agenda or the minutes of the meeting as his private secretary assured him that no matters relevant to his responsibilities were discussed.
Former Health Minister, Senator Mary O’Rourke, said: “I was always of the opinion that there should be two secretary generals within the Department of Health.
“There should be one in charge of fire brigade actions, which erupted about 10 times a day in that department. And there should be one in charge of legislation and policy-making,” she added.
Mr Lenihan said current restructuring of the department, including the establishment of the Health Services Executive, will reduce the heavy workload of the department and allow it to become more focused and efficient with its work.
