Government has ‘cooked the books’ on health - Martin

Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin has alleged that the Government has "cooked the books" and misled the opposition and the public about it health budgets as well as its plans for universal health insurance over the past few years.

Mr Martin launched a withering attack on Taoiseach Enda Kenny and former Minister for Health James Reilly as his party's annual think-in began in Roscommon.

Mr Martin said the Government had consciously and deliberately presented a budget last October knowing the figures to be wrong on health spending. He accused them of deliberately misleading the public and of presenting a “fraudulent” picture to the public.

In relation to plans to dismantle the HSE and replace it with a system of universal health insurance (UHI), Mr Martin said briefing papers prepared for the new Minister for Health Leo Varadkar showed conclusively that UHI was never going to happen.

He contended the papers showed that the Dept of Health knew the proposal was a “complete sham”.

“The Government has lived a lie for the past three and a half years on health.

“I think that is absolutley appaling and a sever indictment of their stewartship of the health portfolio.”

Responding to the latest poll finding which shows his party with support levels of 18 per cent, Mr Martin denied the party had become “becalmed” and was handing the initiative to Sinn Féin.

He said the last real test of party support was the local elections which showed support for Fianna Fáil at 25 per cent and that for Sinn Féin at 15 per cent.

He also asserted that it was Fianna Fáil pressure rather than that of Sinn Féin that had resulted in concessions from the Coalition in the areas of health and justice.