Roisin Shortall has quit as a Junior Health Minister and resigned the Labour Party whip.
The Dublin North-West TD has been at the centre of a bitter row with Health Minister James Reilly.
She says she cannot stay in the job because of a lack of support for the reforms pledged in the Programme for Government.
After the weeks of infighting and claims over the location of primary care centres Roisin Shortall has tonight called time on her Ministerial career after what she says were repeated efforts to resolve what she says is the lack of implementation of the promises in the Programme for Government.
In a statement the Dublin North-West TD says she tendered her resignation to An Taoiseach Enda Kenny today and informed the Tánaiste Eamon Gimore she was also resigning the Parliamentary Labour Party whip.
Labour Party Whip Emmet Stagg explains how she contacted the Tánaiste who is currently in the US.
/> “I understand that she contacted him I think by e-mail to inform him of her decision” he said.
/> “It certainly I suppose wouldn’t be normal practice” he added.
She says it is no longer possible for her to fulfil her role as Minister of State for Primary Care because of a lack of support for the reforms pledged in the Programme for Government.
And in a clear attack on the decision by her now-former senior minister to change the list of locations for primary care centres she says the public have a right to expect decisions on health infrastructure are made in the public interest and on health need and not any other concerns.
She concludes the statement saying her decision was made after repeated and lengthy efforts within the Department and across government on implementation of the Programme for Government.
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