The Government was “blindsided” by the now now abandoned Tony Holohan secondment and the man responsible for it is likely to escape any sanction, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.
Speaking to reporters at Arbour Hill, Mr Martin said he retains confidence in Secretary-General at the Department of Health Robert Watt, despite his failure to tell his political masters of the plan to second the outgoing Chief Medical Officer to Trinity College Dublin.
Mr Martin described the episode as “deeply regrettable” and that it “could have been handled better.
“We’re not we’re not happy in the sense that there was a lot of surprise in the manner in which it emerged,” he said.
Asked with there be any consequences for Mr Watt, Mr Martin said he would “prefer to focus on the lessons that need to be learned and in resetting how these issues should be handled. Let’s see the report tomorrow and let’s take in terms of the lessons to be learned in,” he said.
“This is a very regrettable issue where it has unfolded and transpired could have been done better lessons have to be learned from it,” he said.
“I think fundamentally lessons have to be learned here. But I think transparency from the outset would have been appropriate, and particularly in relation to all of the aspects of this. I think it’s regrettable, given the fact that Tony has been very strong in bringing us through the pandemic,” the Taoiseach said.
Mr Martin said there will be a comprehensive summary report tomorrow from the Secretary General to the Minister for Health.
“I was very clear that where anything that involves the spending of public money, or any substantive multiannual program of research is a policy issue, that does require approval by government,” he made clear.
Answering questions about his failure to handle this properly as head of government, Mr Martin said he “acted” by pausing the proces in light of what he was told from media reports.
“But I’m very clear from my own perspective as to, as to any actions I’ve taken in response to what I learned via the media in relation to this occurrence,” he said.
Responding to strident criticism of Mr Watt from his own junior education minister Niall Collins who accused the official of “displaying breath-taking arrogance and contempt”, Mr Martin said the discussion should avoid personal attacks.
“It should be devoid of any personal attacks on anyone and on public servants in particular. People do things in good faith and from their lens as to how they see issues. People might have seen this as a personnel issue in the first instance, but if cared, now it was broader than that, in terms of what was envisaged,” he said.
Asked if he had confidence in Mr Watt, the Taoiseach gave a qualified answer by saying: “He is a capable public servant. But there are procedures.”
Mr Martin said he was “puzzled” by a report in the Sunday Times that the post was never to be funded by the taxpayer as all of the bodies involved are State bodies funded by the exchequer.
