Martin says Varadkar could have averted trolley crisis

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said the trolley crisis could have been averted if Minister for Health Leo Varadkar had "applied himself to the job".

Mr Martin was responding to Mr Varadkar’s scathing criticism of his tenure in the Department of Health. Speaking in the Dáil last night, Mr Varadkar said any Minister for Health could learn from Mr Martin’s “mistakes and poor leadership”.

However, Mr Martin said he could “robustly defend” his time in the Department when he addressed a Fianna Fáil event in Dublin city centre this morning.

“In terms of my time in Health, I would say to Leo ‘You know, you’re just a wet week in the job. Come back to me in 12 months time and we’ll compare notes’.”

Turning to the ongoing problems in accident and emergency departments, Mr Martin said: “The current crisis could have been averted if he applied himself to the job.”

Mr Martin also revealed Mr Varadkar had approached him for advice last year when he was appointed.

“Actually Leo did ask for advice last summer when he was appointed...In a sincere way he asked me for advice in terms of what one should do,” he said.

“But I think if Leo put half as much effort into actually doing the job as he does to his PR campaign I think he would do better.”

The Fianna Fáil leader said he believed Mr Varadkar wanted to “ keep the head down” until the General Election and get out of the Department of Health as soon as possible.

“I think he has lowered the bar so much in terms of what he hopes to achieve there that it’s in my view unacceptable.”

Mr Martin highlighted his own work on cardiovascular and cancer strategies, and said he had overseen a dramatic expansion of the health services when he was minister between 2000 and 2004.

“So I’ll take Leo on anytime in terms of my record on health,” he said.

“I think people on trolleys in 2015, I don’t think will be impressed by a health minister who has to go back to 2001 to try and justify the problems he’s currently having with the health service.”