No Minister should expect reappointment, says Taoiseach

The Taoiseach has indicated that none of his Ministers, including Minister for Health Leo Varadkar, should expect automatic reappointment to their portfolios if Fine Gael returns to government.

Mr Kenny, in an end-of-year interview with media organisations, was asked would he reappoint Mr Varadkar as Minister for Health if he was re-elected as taoiseach.

He praised Mr Varadkar for his handling of the difficult ministry but added: “It would be very presumptuous of me to presume anything – and I never do. What I would like to do is appoint the best cabinet I have.”

“Leo Varadkar is doing an excellent job in a very difficult position. He is one of [the] first- class Ministers in Cabinet. They are all doing their job very well indeed. It would be presumptuous of me to say anything else.”

Asked would he agree with Mr Varadkar’s comments that the next government would need to pay more attention to Health, Mr Kenny replied: “What the government will pay attention to is continuing to drive the recovery.”

He said any successful government required a strong economic engine to allow for the provision of services in health, education, justice, defence and infrastructure.

“The country cannot continue to develop unless you manage that central issue [of economic growth] and manage it competently.

“Of course that is a given and you need to look at the longer- term vision of government for the health services.”

He said that would result in the transition to a universal health care system, and the end of what he described as “the two-tier health system”. He said hospital groups would evolve into hospital trusts. “That will get the very best out of taxpayers’ money for the patient and for those who serve those patients: nurses, doctors, frontline staff.”

Fianna Fáil spokesman on health Billy Kelleher said the 2016 Health Service Executive (HSE) service plan had locked in the Government’s betrayal on home-help hours with no change planned next year. Almost 1.2 million home-help hours had been slashed under this government.

“This is a fundamental breach of trust as a pledge to increase home helps was a firm commitment in the 2011 programme for government,” he said.

Age Action said the HSE plan was very disappointing and would do little to assist older people who need long-term care and support. “An extra 100,000 home-help hours sounds impressive, but in reality it’s just maintaining the number of hours already being provided in 2015,” it said.

“An additional 1,650 home- care packages were announced but, taking into account the number of packages allocated this year, the true figure for 2016 is less than a third of that.”

Irish Hospital Consultants’ Association president Gerard Crotty said the plan was unrealistic as, yet again, it failed to provide adequate funding for the expected demand for care.

He said the confirmation of a €100 million shortfall in acute hospital funding “combined with a substantial consultant recruitment crisis means that our neglected health service will be unable to cater for the anticipated demand”.