Labour leader lashes out at ‘cowardly’ Taoiseach

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern’s attitude was branded cowardly and scandalous by opposition parties as he aggressively defended the Government over the breast cancer crisis.

With proceedings in the Dáil dominated by the crisis over the misdiagnosis of cases in Portlaoise, Mr Ahern launched a broadside against medical consultants who criticised the Government’s cancer services strategy.

The political temperature looks likely to be maintained this morning when the head of the HSE, Professor Brendan Drumm, visits Leinster House for his annual meeting with parliamentarians. The meeting, arranged weeks ago, is expected to focus entirely on the cancer controversy.