Taoiseach urged to review ministerial code of conduct after Varadkar's document leak

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, whose document leak has drawn significant criticism. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/Rollingnews.ie

The Taoiseach has been called upon to review the code of conduct for ministerial officeholders after the Tánaiste admitted leaking a confidential document.

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall said the issue had been "damaging to government" and, by extension, damaging to politics.

Leo Varadkar admitted passing on a copy of a draft contract agreed by the Government and the Irish Medical Organisation to the rival National Association of GPs. He denies any illegality and insists the version of the document passed on was not the final version. 

"We have the spectacle of a senior member of your government exposed for engaging in what can only be described as grubby activity for grubby purposes," Ms Shortall said.

"Leaking a confidential document to a rival union while the government was engaged in negotiations, and those negotiations were still in progress with the licensed union."

Róisín Shortall Rejected Tánaiste's explanation that the contract was public knowledge. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Ms Shortall rejected the Tánaiste's explanation that the contract was public knowledge stating "very minor elements" were in the press release at the time and a five-page document, while the full document was 108 pages.

"So, there's an awful lot more there within negotiations and was subsequently then agreed," she said.

"There were a lot of weasel words and you're engaging in some of these weasel words yourself by talking about the essentials of the agreement.

"The other insult to injury was the fact that the Tánaiste tried to ludicrously dress this all up as somehow having a legitimate objective and laughingly claimed that he was honouring government commitments - this insults people's intelligence I think most people saw this episode for what it actually was.

I heard you repeating some of those cynically crafted spin lines Taoiseach, and that's beneath you

"He engaged in a deliberate distortion of the truth, and very regrettably, then in the last couple of days, this was then repeated by a succession of ministers.

"I heard you repeating some of those cynically crafted spin lines Taoiseach, and that's beneath you.

"Will you now undertake an immediate review of the code of conduct for officeholders for those people in government? It seems that it's okay with you for members of your government to personally interpret that code."

The Taoiseach said he rejected Ms Shortall's summary.

"As far as I'm concerned, there is an obligation on all members to adhere to that code in the spirit, and in the principle of that code.

"That's something I would hold strongly. I have made it very clear that I regard what the Tánaiste did in the last government was not best practice, was inappropriate, and was wrong.

"(The contract) should have been published earlier, that's my view.

"It seems to me that collective agreements of this sort, with independent contractors will be more difficult, because of the application of the competition law and the competition authority in itself.

"I think it was important that the Tánaiste did address the issue in the house and did take questions on it yesterday at some length and acknowledged that he wouldn't do this again."

Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald once again called on the government to publish all the formal communications between the NAGP and the government.

The Taoiseach said there is no "cache of documentation in the department in relation to the issue".