Shatter slams Dermot Ahern

Fine Gael health spokesperson, Alan Shatter, has hit back at earlier Fianna Fail criticism of Fine Gael's leadership, launching a scathing attack on Dermot Ahern's earlier comments.

"It's clear that as Dermot Ahern and Fianna Fail reach the anniversary of their fifth year in office, they are cracking under the pressure and scrambling for cover because of the Government's failure to hatch a plan at Ballymacscanlan to resolve the crisis in the health service," he said.

"The all-but-empty shell of Mullingar hospital's new five storey wing, which should now be filled with 100 desperately needed extra new beds, is a concrete monument to the failure of Mr Ahern and his Government to tackle the health crisis.

"That Mr Ahern should be the chief promoter of the Fiann Fail dirty tricks campaign against Michael Noonan is laughable.

"In the latest shocking revelations about Ray Burke's lucrative relationship with the business world, who can forget that it was Dermot Ahern who gave Mr Burke a clean bill of health on his return from making extensive enquiries about him in London?

"Who can forget either that it was the giving of this clean bill of health that resulted in Ray Burke being appointed to high Government office by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern?," he added.