A motion of no confidence in Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney was easily defeated last night in the Dáil.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Tánaiste Brian Cowen were outspoken in their support for the beleaguered Minister.
However, Fianna Fáil Cork East TD Ned O'Keeffe resigned from the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party after he condemned the Government's ability to deliver a functioning health system.
Although he supported the Government in preventing the Labour-sponsored no confidence motion being put to the House, Mr O'Keeffe abstained on the vote on the Government's amended motion when it was dealt with minutes later. The Government won 83-73.
Government chief whip Tom Kitt regretted that Mr O'Keeffe "felt it necessary to resign the party whip", saying that "hopefully he will be back in the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party in the future".
Finance Minister Brian Cowen
Delivering an impassioned speech in defence of Ms Harney, Mr Ahern said she "is not the one to blame and not the one who will be found blameworthy" once investigations are finished.
Mr Ahern said HSE management are accountable for their direct management of the system. "Individual clinicians, and health managers, are also accountable for the actions which they took, or did not take. In the case of the HSE, they are accountable to the Minister, and thus to the Government, and in addition to Dáil Éireann," he said.
When pressed to a vote, the Government easily won with its counter motion, which lauded the Minister for the improvement in cancer services, with the support of Independent TDs Finian McGrath, Michael Lowry, Jackie Healy-Rae, and Beverley Flynn.
Mr Cowen put pressure on the Opposition to join a political consensus, modelled on social partnership, to improve cancer care. "We have a Minister for Health who wants to bring reform. It is for this House to represent citizens, not resisters of change," he said.
However, Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore sharply attacked the Government's bid to get the Opposition to join an all-party health agreement when there is "no agreement on policy. You must have policies agreed first".
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said Ms Harney had failed to heed warnings from Portlaoise that there was a problem with the diagnosis of breast cancer cases in the Midlands General Hospital.