Martin says he has 'nothing to fear' at inquiry

The Minister for Health's predecessor, Mr Micheál Martin, said yesterday that he had nothing to fear from an inquiry into the illegal charges imposed on residents of nursing homes. Mr Martin, who is now Minister for Enterprise, was minister for health for four years until the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, took over last September.

He told TV3's Political Party programme that he had already met Mr John Travers, who is conducting an official inquiry into the background of the illegal deduction of money from patients with medical cards. He had had a two-hour meeting with Mr Travers, which he welcomed as an opportunity "to get a lot off my chest in terms of how I saw it and my perspective on it".

Mr Martin said that he would never have deliberately passed on "unexploded mines" to any of his successors. "I am quite confident in terms of the process that is under way," he said.

When the controversy arose, Mr Martin said that he had never been shown a legal opinion, provided to the Department of Health in 2003 by a health board, which had suggested that the charges were illegal. He has also claimed that he was absent from a key meeting between Department of Health officials and senior executives of the health boards at which the matter was discussed.

Mr Martin said that the illegal charges had continued for over 29 years and he questioned the view that the issue had only come to light during his term as minister for health. "I think too many conclusions are being jumped at by people," he said.