Sir, – The appointment of the current chief medical officer (CMO) to a professorship of public health strategy in Trinity College Dublin has raised many issues about how universities are run and how academic appointments are made.
I contend that TCD appears to have ignored the key clauses of the Universities Act (1997), which guarantee the independence of the individual universities, while the Higher Education Authority oversees university funding.
By making the CMO’s appointment in the manner announced by an unidentified Trinity spokesperson in collaboration with the Department of Health, there has been interference with the independence of the university and with its legal appointment obligations, ie full international advertisement of the post, whether at lecturer or professor level, followed by interview by an independent board of assessors.
Regrettably, TCD has not done this but instead apparently participated in an appointments charade, with the Department of Health calling the appointment a “secondment”. Even then, the noun “secondment” was incorrect; the dictionary defines “secondment” as the “transfer of an officer or official temporarily to another appointment or department”.
:fill(white):background_color(white)/static.themebuilder.aws.arc.pub/irishtimes/1647534191476.png)
However, the CMO has stated that he is leaving the Department of Health, while the secretary general of that department stated that the “CMO was on a contract of indefinite duration and will not be returning as chief medical officer”. – Yours, etc,
Prof JIM HEFFRON,
Emeritus Professor
in Biochemistry,
University College Cork.
Sir, – I note that we will be shortly paying the salaries of two chief medical officers but only retaining the services of a single chief medical officer.
All this was overseen by the secretary general of the Department of Health, the highest-paid civil servant in the State, whose remit would presumably include driving savings in the health budget.
This all begins to make sense now. – Yours, etc,
PAUL WALSH,
Skerries,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly was only made aware on Tuesday that Tony Holohan’s secondment was approved by the Department of Health.
Does this truly prove to the voter who actually runs the department? – Yours, etc,
PAT SAVAGE,
Drogheda,
Co Louth.
Sir, – In light of the questions being raised by Dr Holohan’s secondment to Trinity from the HSE, would it be safe to assume that the Government learned nothing about “transparency and openness” from the Katherine Zappone controversy in 2021? – Yours, etc,
DAMA CUNNINGHAM,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.
A chara, – The Taoiseach was circumspect in his comment on the proposed secondment of the chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan to a newly created professorship post in Trinity College (“Taoiseach calls for ‘pause’ ahead of report on Holohan secondment”, News, April 8th).
Reading between the lines, it is clear that the Taoiseach is reasserting the primacy of political oversight in these matters – it is not just an issue for officials to decide.
He may be in his last year in the office, but it is good to see Mr Martin reminding everyone that the buck stops with the Taoiseach as head of government. – Is mise,
JOHN GLENNON,
Hollywood,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – It appears that Watt has all the power. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL
McARDLE,
Kinvara,
Co Galway.