Leo Varadkar clings on with the support of coalition partners

AFTER TWO HOURS back and forth between Leo Varadkar and the Opposition last night, those in government circles believe the Tánaiste said enough to overcome the GP contract controversy.

Varadkar apologized in the Dáil for “errors in judgment” after handing over a copy of a negotiated agreement between the Government and the Irish Medical Organization (IMO) to a rival GP group last year.

The Tánaiste was questioned about what prompted him to send the document to Dr. Maitiú Ó Tuathail of the NAGP, someone Varadkar said is a friend but “not a close friend.”

He was also asked about that friendship and the chronology of his contacts, if he had been in contact with Ó Tuathail since the story was published in Village magazine on Saturday, and if he had ever leaked a confidential report before.

Last night, his own party supported him and told reporters that the Tánaiste had answered questions on the matter and could move on. The Tánaiste statement and subsequent responses also allayed the Green Party’s concerns.

In a statement, a Green Party spokesperson said that it took note of Tánaiste’s statement at the Dail, adding:

“It was necessary for him to go to the house and answer questions about what is serious business. We welcome your recognition that what happened was not right and your apology for this error in judgment.

“The disclosure of information in this way was not correct and should not be repeated.

“It is important that the lessons are learned and put into practice on how this new government does its business.”

Sources within the party say it will not pursue the matter.

While Taoiseach said they had confidence in Tánaiste earlier this week, some within the Fianna Fáil party are less convinced by last night’s performance.

In a direct tweet, TD Jim O’Callaghan said:

Every politician knows that it is wrong for a minister to send a government document with “Confidential not for circulation” printed in large letters on the cover to someone not authorized to receive it. Let us not lower ourselves by pretending otherwise.

– Jim O’Callaghan (@OCallaghanJim) November 3, 2020

Others within the party believe the explanations given last night will suffice, but said that Fianna Fáil’s support lags far behind the warnings that this event should “put manners on her.”

A member of Fianna Fáil asked if it is now the case that there are different standards depending on who the protagonists involved are, stating that the government cannot preside over a rule for some and no rule for others.

In last night’s Dáil session, Varadkar said he sent the document to NAGP’s Dr. Maitiú Ó Tuathail on “probably 15 or 16” April 2019.

He said he sent it “confidentially”, believing that the publication of the agreement was imminent. Varadkar said he should have called the NAGP for a briefing and reviewed the document line by line, rather than passing it on informally.

“That’s the way it should have been done, I didn’t do it that way,” Varadkar said, adding that he knew that mailing it to Ó Tuathail “was a shortcut.”

Following last night’s debate, Rise TD Paul Murphy said “it is time for Leo Varadkar to step down.” The DT has reported the matters to the Standard in Public Office (Sipo) to investigate whether it has violated the code of conduct for office holders.

Whether Varadkar is out of the woods will depend on whether further revelations emerge, but most government circles believe that the Tánaiste will stick with the support of its coalition partners.