Reilly stands over primary care decisions

Health minister James Reilly stood over his decisions on primary care ahead of being questioned by his own backbenchers and the opposition about the fallout with ex-minister Róisín Shortall.

Dr Reilly also held his first meeting with incoming junior health minister Alex White on Friday, it emerged, in which the two discussed work in the department.

Dr Reilly said Ms Shortall’s claim that he engaged in “stroke politics” in choosing to locate two centres, Balbriggan and Swords, in his own Dublin constituency, was “insulting” for those communities.