Martin denies report of feud with McCreevy

The Minister for Health Mr Micheal Martin has denied he is dispute with the Minister for Finance over funding for the health …

The Minister for Health Mr Micheal Martin has denied he is dispute with the Minister for Finance over funding for the health sector.

Mr Micheal Martin

Earlier Fine Gael had attributed the Government’s failure to publish a new health policy document to a feud between himself and Mr McCreevy.

The party said the postponement of the launch of the Government’s health policy was indicative of a "serious turf war" between the ministries.

However a spokesman for Minister Martin said the launch date had been changed because of logistical issues relating to printing and nothing else.

Fine Gael party spokesman on health Mr Gay Mitchell said Minister McCreevy was right to demand value for money from the Minister for Health.

Mr Mitchell said: "The Health Minister’s use of hired PR guns to package and sell his proposals has all the hallmarks of a carefully planned and cynical pre-election stunt".

He said: "The Finance Minster is right to demand value for money rather than soft PR sop from the health proposals".

Mr Mitchell described as "breathtaking" the repeated postponing of the health launch and said the Government was incompetent in its management of the health services.

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Eoin Burke-Kennedy

Eoin Burke-Kennedy

Eoin Burke-Kennedy is Economics Correspondent of The Irish Times