Crown demands to know why he was axed

CONSULTANT oncologist Prof John Crown still believes there could have been political interference in last Friday night’s Late Late Show discussion on health issues despite RTÉ insisting “no outside influences” were involved in the decision to drop him from the panel.

“It is plausible that there was political interference but I have no evidence that there was,” he said yesterday.

He claimed there had been a telephone call between RTÉ and the office of the Health Minister Mary Harney, one hour before he was told he would not be appearing on the show. Ms Harney’s spokesman denied there had been contact between her office and RTÉ regarding the panel line-up.

“I think I am owed clarification on that issue,” said Prof Crown, who has been very critical of the way the health service operates.

Prof Crown said he had been informed the decision to remove him from the show was made, not by the Late Late Show production team, but by those “higher up” in RTÉ.

RTÉ stated yesterday that television management had concerns about the panel on the show and the Late Late Show production team was asked to bring a wider range of voices to the panel.

“The final decision on the composition of the panel was made jointly by television management and the Late Late Show production team. These kind of internal discussions happen on a regular basis,” said the statement.

“RTÉ reiterates that there were no outside influences involved in the decision, it was purely an internal decision,” the statement concluded.

The minister’s spokesman, Derek Cunningham, said he was contacted by the Late Late Show on Friday evening to ask if any government minister could join the panel.

He had known since last Thursday who was on the panel and that Ms Harney would be unavailable.

He strongly denied, however, that either he or anyone else from Ms Harney’s office had contacted RTÉ’s director general Cathal Goan.

There was no request that any individual be taken off the panel, said Mr Cunningham.

“There was no request around any individual participating on the Late Late Show panel,” he stressed.

In the Dáil last week, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern made several personalised swipes at Prof Crown and the retired cardiac surgeon Maurice Nelligan.

Prof Crown said he was “chilled” by Mr Ahern’s suggestion that the Taoiseach had briefing notes on him [Mr Crown] and asked if Mr Ahern was compiling “McCarthyesque” dossiers on critics.

The HSE has confirmed that breast care services in Mullingar Hospital will be transferred to the Mater Hospital in Dublin over the next four weeks. All new referrals will be transferred from the hospital to the Mater, with patients asked whether they wished to be treated in the Mater.