Plans to downgrade Roscommon threaten FF split

An attempt could be made today to avert a damaging pre-election split in Fianna Fáil in the West.

Roscommon TD Michael Finneran is due to have crisis talks with the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at this week's parliamentary party session over the HSE's decision to downgrade Roscommon County hospital.

Mr Finneran has threatened to not stand for Fianna Fáil in the next general election if the move goes ahead.

He claimed the Government is going back on promises it made to keep the hospital intact:

“I expected that they would stand by their own publicly stated policy, but certainly if they don’t I’m in conflict with the Government and the Minister for Health straight away if we don’t have a rejection of the HSE proposal to downgrade the hospital.”