Taoiseach refuses to be drawn on FF 'stroke politics' claim

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny has refused to be drawn on whether he, and the Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, were aware as far back as July of locations being proposed for primary care centres, by the Health Minister.

It comes after a report in yesterday's Sunday Independent that Mr Kenny and Mr Gilmore were told over the summer that Dr James Reilly planned to locate two centres in his Dublin North Constituency.

Opposition party Fianna Fáil has said it believes the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste are now implicated in a political stroke.

The row over the locations led to the resignation of Junior Health Minister Roisín Shortall.

When asked three times by Midwest Radio this morning if Minister James Reilly had consulted with him and the Tánaiste, last July, the Taoiseach failed to answer.

The Taoiseach said: "There is a process gone through here for approval of that stimulus package and the Cabinet has signed off on that.

"The minister made it clear that beyond the mere criteria of deprivation, which are inportant in themselves, that he extended that criteria as he explained, both to deal with vested interests, buy-in from general practitioners and to provide competition for these services."