Oireachtas group’s chief critical of Taoiseach around Watt testimony

Taoiseach Micheál Martin put "misleading commentary" to the Dáil on efforts by the Oireachtas finance committee to secure testimony from the top civil servant in the Department of Health, the committee chairman has said.

Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow-Kilkenny John McGuinness strongly criticised the Mr Martin, senior civil servants and the Government during a lengthy contribution at the end of a hearing on the abandoned appointment of Tony Holohan to a secondment in Trinity College Dublin.

He said there was "misleading commentary put to the Dáil by the Taoiseach" in the house on Tuesday when he compared the committee's efforts to secure an appearance from Robert Watt to a "witch hunt" – something Mr McGuinness called "regrettable".

He said there had been a “determined effort by Government” to cloud the issues surrounding the appointment, using obfuscation and spin, and that his job as chairman is being made “difficult” by Ministers, the Taoiseach and senior civil servants.

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Mr McGuinness said the Taoiseach had suggested that due process be allowed take place and an external report be completed into the appointment before committees heard from Mr Watt or Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly. But Mr McGuinness added that due process had not been afforded to a minister sacked from Mr Martin's Government – a reference to Laois-Offaly TD Barry Cowen.

He also criticised Mr Watt at length. Mr McGuinness said Mr Watt had “eaten up a huge amount” of committee time, correspondence had gone unanswered, deadlines had been missed and phone calls unreturned, with “contempt” shown for the committee.

The committee is now to seek powers to compel witnesses to attend, an unusual development that could lead to a Dáil vote on the matter. It heard testimony on the appointment from Martin Fraser, secretary general of the Department of the Taoiseach. Mr Fraser told the committee that he first discussed the potential move by Dr Holohan to the university sector at a meeting in August of 2021, at which point it was a "far more generic proposal" than that which eventually proved so controversial.

Chat between colleagues

He told Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty that there were no notes or minutes kept of the meeting as it was a chat between two colleagues. Asked by Aontú TD Peadar Tóibín if he could give an example of a similar role to that which was being proposed for the chief medical officer (CMO), he said he couldn't think of one.

He said he didn’t have a role in the process but supported the concept of Dr Holohan moving on. Although he denied that there was a view within the civil service that the CMO had become too high profile during the pandemic and a new position would have to be found for him.

He said the process was largely managed by, and within, the Department of Health. Asked about when the Taoiseach was informed, he replied that he would have been told before the announcement, but that he couldn’t speak “for what the Taoiseach knew and when”.

Mr Fraser said he had no involvement in the funding arrangements for the post, but that he knew research funding was to be associated with it. Mr Fraser was asked by Independent TD for Clare Michael McNamaraif he was concerned that the democratic authority of the Government was threatened by the National Public Health Emergency Team’s power during the pandemic? Mr Fraser replied that while there were tensions at times all involved had done their best in trying circumstances.