Shortall refuses to express full confidence in Reilly

A personality clash at the heart of a key Government department has intensified after Labour junior health minister Róisín Shortall refused to express full confidence in her Fine Gael boss, James Reilly.

Despite being given several opportunities to do so, Ms Shortall would give not her full backing to the health minister after the two became embroiled in a public spat over the early departure of HSE boss Cathal Magee.

Ms Shortall became evasive after being asked if she had full confidence in Dr Reilly’s abilities as health minister, particularly in respect of his task of bringing forward a strategy in September to clear the department’s current €280m overspend.

Her stance led Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte to appear to admit she was engaged in a “personality squabble” with Dr Reilly.

However, Mr Rabbitte was keen to insist such disputes would not knock the Cabinet off course.

“The Government is single-minded, unified, and focused on trying to bring the country back to economic recovery and any personalities, squabbles, or anything like that is not going to deter from the main focus.

“There are always different personalities who rub up against each other — nothing surprises me about that,” he said.

Ms Shortall tried to play down her fall-out with Dr Reilly, but shied away from offering him full backing.

“I think it is wrong to think this is a personalityissue, that is not what it is about.

“We deal with each other on a professional level, and we deal with each other on policy issues.

“This is about the kind of health service we have and how we roll out reforms.

“We have a working relationship — he has his areas of responsibility and I have my areas of responsibility and we work on that basis.

“There is no reason for personality differences in this and that is not the basis on which either of us is working,” Ms Shortall told Newstalk Breakfast.

The bad relationship between Ms Shortall and Dr Reilly exploded into the open when she made clear her unhappiness at having to learn about Mr Magee’s departure, less then half way through his term, via media reports. The row intensified when it became known that Dr Reilly had also not told the Tánaiste about the Magee situation.

Ms Shortall and Dr Reilly are known to have had a difficult relationship for some time, with the Labour minister unhappy at her treatment by her Fine Gael boss, who she is believed to feel does not keep her in the loop on major issues affecting the department.