Taoiseach calls for secondment of Tony Holohan to be paused

The Taoiseach has called on the secondment of Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan to Trinity College to be paused pending a reassessment.

The Government is due to receive a report on the process around the appointment next week.

Speaking in Helsinki this morning Taoiseach Micheál Martin put a pause on Dr Tony Holohan’s appointment to a Professorship at Trinity College.

He said there is merit to establishing the new role – but there absolutely has to be full transparency about how it was done.

Micheál Martin has requested a full report from the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, who has asked head of the Department Robert Watt to report back in a few days.

There is notable anger at Cabinet about the move, which would see Dr Holohan paid his existing salary by the State despite taking up a new job.

The fact this role was created, at the expense of the State, without the knowledge of Ministers, is something the politicians are deeply unhappy about.

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