Pressure mounts on Reilly to quit health

Pressure is mounting on Health Minister James Reilly following claims his position has been undermined and that spending cuts and ill thought-out policies will damage the health service next year.

Ministers scrambled to defend Mr Reilly’s record over the weekend with one junior minister insisting the Government had “absolute confidence” in him, despite Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin and Taoiseach Enda Kenny now overseeing health spending.

Mr Kenny’s spokesman also said the opposition comments had “no credibility”.