Leo Varadkar would not have survived last year’s vote of no confidence in the Dáil if new details about the GP contract leak were known at the time, according to Sinn Féin.
The Tánaiste has already apologised to the Dáil for his ‘errors of judgment’ in sharing a confidential Government document with the head of a doctor’s representative group.
He insisted there was ‘nothing corrupt or illegal’ in his decision to share the agreement, made with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), with the head of the rival National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) in 2019.
Over the weekend, Gardaí confirmed they are assessing a complaint against the Tánaiste to "determine what, if any, Garda action is required."
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Sinn Féin finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty said the story Minister Varadkar told the Dáil “really unravelled as more and more information has come to the public light.”
He noted that Sinn Féin has never accused Minister Varadkar of breaking any laws, noting that Gardaí must now decide whether he has.
“The issue here is that Leo Varadkar has abused the office of the Taoiseach,” he said. “He has abused that office by providing a highly confidential document and providing it to his friends.
“His friend was the head of an organisation that were bitter rivals to the IMO. They were an organisation that were looking for influence, that were looking for members and were looking for subscriptions.
“That is what this was all about. That is why we put down the motion of no confidence and four months on, we are still looking for information.
“Let me say this, if the information we had requested repeatedly on the floor of the Dáil and repeatable in writing to the Taoiseach and the other ministers was given to us at that time, I don’t believe Leo Varadkar would have survived.”
Documents
Deputy Doherty has previously claimed that Freedom of Information documents obtained by his party “completely tear apart” the statement Minister Varadkar made in the Dáil last year.
This morning, he said, in Sinn Féin’s opinion, it is now clear that that the story he told the Dáil, “simply did not stack up.”
“We were aware that there was a Garda complaint made which was reported on but now there are reports from over the weekend that a senior official from the Department of Health has come forward,” he said.
“That wouldn’t surprise me because, we see from the documents that we have obtained, that the officials in the Department of Health were very clear that this was a confidential document, were very clear that it should not be published unilaterally, that it would be a major breach of trust and we know that this document was about a contract worth €210m.”
Full statement
In a statement yesterday, Minister Varadkar said Gardaí have not been in contact with him; however, he has reached out to them through his solicitors and “offered to meet with them, answer any questions they may have, and provide a full statement on the matter.”
He said the facts are “no different to those set out by me in the Dáil last November” and said his legal advice is that he has “committed no offence.”
You can listen back to Deputy Doherty’s interview here:
