Reilly defends performance over handling of cuts

Health Minister James Reilly was forced to defend his performance to Cabinet colleagues after a cack-handed cuts package plunged the Coalition into days of turmoil.

Widespread anger at the scope and handling of the cuts provoked an embarrassing row back as Dr Reilly pledged to abandon moves to slash the €40m personal care assistance budget for disabled people by a quarter.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny used the first Cabinet meeting for six weeks to warn ministers they need to focus and communicate better as the Government braces itself ahead of the imposition of another €2.3bn worth of spending cuts in the coming months.

Senior ministers have been alarmed at the way plans to trim the frontline health budget by a fraction of that amount, €27m, rocked the Coalition and saw an outbreak of public squabbling between Fine Gael and Labour.

Mr Kenny warned the December Budget, which will see tax hikes of €1.3bn along with cuts of €2.3bn, will be the most difficult of this parliament.

“The silly season is now over and Government gets down to real work making the decisions in respect of sorting out our country’s public finances, making decisions that will make it more competitive for us to attract inward investment and the creation of jobs and making sure that services for those who need them... that we are in a position to deliver those,” the Taoiseach said.

After Dr Reilly was forced into the humiliating partial climb-down over planned HSE cuts of €130m, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore tried to calm the fears of angry backbenchers by saying further reductions would have to made in HSE spending with sensitivity.

Mr Gilmore criticised Fianna Fáil for its motion of no-confidence in Dr Reilly, insisting the party had a “hard neck” to talk about the health service after its 14 years in power.

European Affairs Minister Lucinda Creighton told Coalition TDs to stop “whingeing” as Fine Gael expressed its anger at the way Labour TDs had reacted to the health cuts with talk of a snap general election at the weekend.

The Public Expenditure Reform department’s proposals to cut the €1.5bn allowances bill for public servants was not discussed as it was among a number of items junked to allow for urgent consideration of the looming budget process and the need for better cohesion among ministers.

Fianna Fáil’s health spokesperson Billy Kelleher said Mr Gilmore was deflecting attention away from the Government’s failures.

“The Tánaiste’s comments will provide absolutely no comfort to the thousands of high-dependency patients who will have their supports cut as a result of this Government’s decisions,” he said.