Leo Varadkar has assured the Taoiseach that he never leaked any confidential documents ‘before or since’ the current controversy.
Minister Varadkar will this afternoon make a statement to the Dáil on his decision to share a confidential agreement made with one group of doctors with the head of another.
The Tánaiste has admitted sending a copy of a deal agreed with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) to the then-president of the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP), Dr Maitiú Ó Tuathail.
He has claimed he only sent the document Dr Ó Tuathail in a bid to get the agreement accepted by as many GPs as possible.
Government Leak
Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, the Taoiseach Micheál Martin again defended Minister Varadkar – insisting that much of the detail of the contract was already publicly known.
He also said he has been assured the Minister Varadkar was not regularly leaking sensitive documents.
“First of all, I have asked the Tánaiste that question and the answer was no, that he hasn’t done something like this before or since,” he said.
“The most important issue as far as I was concerned when something like this emerges, is that there is full accountability to the House here.”
“To be fair to the Tánaiste, he had no issue whatsoever with coming before the House to address the issue and to answer any questions that people may have in this regard.”
GP Contract
He said he does not know why the Tánaiste sent the document to Dr Ó Tuathail and agreed that it was “not best practice.”
“It was not appropriate and it was the wrong way to do things,” he said.
“That said, everybody was engaging with the NAGP at some level. Even in this House, the NAGP was lobbying Opposition parties. It wanted to hear what was going on and to be consulted on the GP contract.”
The Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she does not accept the Government's version of events.
“I am assuming, Taoiseach, that you have explored all of these matters with the Tánaiste and with others because you have essentially given him a clean bill of health,” she said.
“You have said these are matters of ‘not best practice’ – weasel words if ever I heard them.”
Public interest
On Lunchtime Live this afternoon, Fine Gael TD Richard Bruton insisted his party leader was acting in the public interest when he leaked the document.
“There is no major error of judgement here,” he said.
“There is no attempt to gain benefit. This was done in the public interest.”
The Tánaiste Leo Varadkar at Government Buildings, 13-10-2020. Image: Julien BehalMinister Varadkar is expected to take to his feet in the House before 5pm this evening.
He will have to convince the Dáil that no financial or competitive advantage was given to the NAGP as a result of the leak.
He will also need to convince his Government colleagues that he can draw a line under the controversy today.
