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Updated 52 minutes ago
TÁNAISTE LEO VARADKAR has said that it was not “best practice” to provide a government document to a medical organization through informal channels, but has rejected allegations that it violated any law by doing so.
In a press release this afternoon, he claimed that an article by The Village, detailing the alleged communications between the then-Taoiseach and the National Association of General Practitioners in 2019, is “both inaccurate and extremely defamatory.”
However, the Tánaiste accepts that the provision of the agreement between the government and the Irish Medical Organization (IMO) by an informal communication channel to the president of the NAGP, a rival group, was not the best practice. He said he “regrets” not ensuring that it was provided in a more “appropriately formal” manner.
Varadkar said he has sought legal advice in relation to the story, which was published by the magazine this morning.
This afternoon, Fine Gael’s press office released a long and detailed statement, refuting and rejecting the allegations.
In it, Varadkar confirmed that he had provided the president of the NAGP, Dr. Maitiu Ó Tuathail, with a copy of the 2019 Agreement on GP Contract Reforms sometime between April 11-16.
He said this was after the “essential details” of the contract were made public earlier that month.
“The delivery of a copy of the Agreement to Dr. Ó Tuathail, in his capacity as president of the NAGP, occurred in circumstances where the legitimate objective of this action was to promote acceptance of the Agreement among the general practitioner community,” he says. the notice.
The Tánaiste accepts that the delivery of the Agreement through an informal communication channel to the President of the NAGP was not a good practice and regrets not having ensured that it was delivered in a more adequate and formal manner.
“However, there was nothing illegal at all in the provision of the Agreement to the President of the NAGP,” the statement added.
The Irish Medical Organization is the largest representative body for Irish physicians. But starting in 2013, he faced some competition from the National Association of General Practitioners, a body that aimed to represent GPs and was seeking to quickly attract new members.
The NAGP had voiced its opinion on its exclusion from government talks on general practitioner contracts, leading it to criticize the process. The body went into liquidation in July 2019.
Varadkar said he wanted, as head of government, to make sure the agreement was well received by the entire GP community.
“The provision of the agreement to Dr. Ó Tuathail needs to be viewed in the context of the possible injustice that a representative body of general practitioners (the IMO) has access to the Agreement at a time when the other representative body (the NAGP) I did not, ”he added.
He continued to deny that his actions amounted to a violation of the Official Secrets Act of 1963; the Criminal Justice (Corruption Crimes) Act 2018; the Code of Conduct for Dáil members 2002; the 2003 Code of Conduct for Office Holders; or data protection legislation.
The Village has been contacted for comment following the release of Varadkar’s statement.
The complaints had prompted opposition parties today to demand answers and a full statement in the Dáil.
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The backbench figures at Fianna Fáil have also raised concerns. Dublin’s TD Jim O’Callaghan called it a “serious and specific indictment.”
There is a serious and specific accusation in @VillageMagIRE about the release of a confidential government document. The Tánaiste must make a statement responding to the accusation and clarifying the situation.
– Jim O’Callaghan (@OCallaghanJim) October 31, 2020
Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly said Varadkar has questions to answer.
“This is an extremely serious situation and the Fine Gael leader must make a full statement on the matter immediately,” he said.
“This is not gossip or indiscretion.”
Other parties made similar demands. Labor Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said: “The Minister of Enterprise must clarify and confirm whether the reported happened.”
He also asked Varadkar to make a statement to Dáil on the matter on Tuesday, as did TD Paul Murphy.
The co-leader of the Social Democrats, Róisín Shortall, said: “In view of the importance of these accusations, we ask the Tanáiste to make an immediate public statement on the veracity of these accusations.”
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