Kenny in U-turn on A&E closure pledge
After categorically insisting he had never made specific election pledges on the future of Roscommon Hospital’s emergency department (ED)& services, a tape recording of him doing just that left Mr Kenny embroiled in fresh controversy and scrambling to regain the political initiative.
Opposition parties seized on the gaffe as they tried to make the Taoiseach’s honesty an issue, with Sinn Féin accusing him of spouting “falsehoods” and Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin saying Mr Kenny had not told the full truth to the Dáil.
Fine Gael and Labour figures privately expressed dismay at the handling of the Roscommon situation and how it had been allowed to escalate to dominate political debate for a full week.
Mr Kenny, when asked if he made specific election pledges about Roscommon hospital, claimed: “I wasn’t travelling the country making promises I couldn’t stand over, obviously I was very careful about that, but change is always difficult.”
But he was left red-faced when it then emerged he had told voters in Roscommon in February: “We are committed to maintaining the services in Roscommon County Hospital. And I don’t come down here lightly to say these words.
“You know down in the accident and emergency what it takes and what needs to be done in your own local hospital here. And we will protect and defend that,” he said in a recording released by The Sunday Business Post.
On the tape, Mr Kenny says Fine Gael Roscommon TD Denis Naughten was right to warn the planned closure of the ED would “create unprecedented pressure on an over-stressed Portiuncula Hospital”.
Mr Naughten was thrown out of the FG parliamentary party last week for opposing the closure in a Dáil vote.
As the political storm gathered, Mr Kenny avoided journalists after the national commemoration day ceremony in Dublin, claiming it was not an appropriate occasion to speak to the press, and later issued a brief statement in which he tried to defend his position, saying a report by medical watchdogs had indicated since the election that ED & services at smaller hospitals like Roscommon were not safe.
“I regret any confusion that may have arisen from my comments. It was never my intention to mislead anyone on this matter,” he said.
Sinn Féin’s Seán Crowe was scathing about the Taoiseach’s U-turn, stating: “The tape has exposed the Taoiseach that he is telling falsehoods in relation to the commitment that he actually made to the people of Roscommon.”
Mr Martin demanded that the Taoiseach make a statement to the Dáil as soon as possible on the matter.
“He should admit he and his party made commitments they had no intention of fulfilling,” he said.
Roscommon’s ED closes today to be replaced with an urgent care centre.
