Cathaoirleach Paddy Burke (FG) declined to call on Marc MacSharry (FF) to withdraw his claim of apparent corruption in the favouring of hospital projects in Wexford and Kilkenny. “It is a political charge,” Mr Burke told party colleague Pat O’Neill, who had insisted that Mr MacSharry be ordered to retract what he had said.
Mr MacSharry had earlier said it was very unsettling that a suggestion had been made that both projects had been “bumped up effectively”, possibly as a trading of favours between departments.
Complaining about Government responses to the controversy, he said: “I think the flippancy of the Taoiseach is not welcome in the context of dealing with what amounts, in most people’s eyes, on the surface, to blatant corruption.”
Was it the case that one had to have proximity to a fellow Minister in order to secure the progression of a capital project, asked Mr MacSharry.
Commenting on the corruption claim, John Gilroy (Lab) said: “Coming from Fianna Fáil, that’s a good one.”
Fianna Fáil Seanad leader Darragh O’Brien said there had been no explanation for Minister for Health James Reilly’s decision. He thought it was clear that Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan had lobbied very heavily.
Mr Burke advised that “bruiser” was unparliamentary language. Mr O’Brien responded that it was not listed as such. Ministers Hogan and Brendan Howlin had to say how they deemed it appropriate to announce these improvements before the HSE approved them.