Country's top civil servant 'had no involvement' in Tony Holohan's botched move to TCD

Martin Fraser has also made clear that he had no conversations with the Taoiseach or anyone in the Department of An Taoiseach about the proposed move before media reports emerged on the matter last month.

Dr Tony Holohan (pictured) had told Martin Fraser towards the end of February that he was considering a possible role in the university sector that could make a contribution to improving public health capacity in Ireland. File Photo: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie

The country’s top civil servant, Martin Fraser, has said he had no involvement in the detailed arrangement of the botched secondment of Dr Tony Holohan to Trinity College Dublin.

He has also made clear that he had no conversations with the Taoiseach or anyone in the Department of An Taoiseach about the proposed move before media reports emerged on the matter last month.

Mr Fraser is set to appear before the Oireachtas Finance Committee next Wednesday having accepted an invitation to give testimony on the controversy.

In a letter to the committee, seen by the Irish Examiner, Mr Fraser wrote that he had had a number of confidential conversations with the outgoing Chief Medical Officer about “his future plans”. He said this was in the context of their working relationship during the pandemic.

Mr Fraser said that towards the end of February, the Chief Medical Officer indicated to him that he was thinking of stepping down from his current role. Dr Holohan said he was considering a possible role in the university sector that could make a contribution to improving public health capacity in Ireland.

Mr Fraser said Dr Holohan proposed a secondment from the Civil Service to an academic post in a university, which would enable him to use his knowledge and experience to help strengthen public health leadership in Ireland.

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“As is common practice in the university sector, he envisaged that some research funding would be made available to support this work,” Mr Fraser said in reference to the controversial offer of €2m a year from the Department of Health to Trinity College, without any political approval.

He said he was supportive of such a move given the experience of the pandemic.

“I was supportive of this proposal as the Covid-19 pandemic clearly illustrated the need for strengthened public health capacity, not just here in Ireland but globally. And I believe that Dr Holohan could make a significant contribution in that regard,” he said.

Mr Fraser said he then contacted Robert Watt, the Secretary-General of the Department of Health, who advised him that he was dealing with the matter.

“I had no further involvement, as the detailed arrangements were a matter for the Department of Health,” he said.

The Department of An Taoiseach had no other involvement, nor did I discuss the proposal with anyone except the chief medical officer and the Secretary-General of the Department of Health until there were media reports about the matter towards the end of March.

While Mr Fraser has so far accepted the invitation to appear before the committee, Mr Watt and David Maloney, Secretary-General at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform have not responded, committee sources have said.

A committee demand that all documents relating to the matter be handed over to the committee by Thursday was not adhered to.