'Deeply regrettable' Holohan secondment broke existing rules, Government to conclude
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Government leaders are set to conclude that the “deeply regrettable” secondment of chief medical officer (CMO) Tony Holohan to Trinity College Dublin broke existing rules, while top civil servant Robert Watt is set to escape sanction.
A “comprehensive report” is to be presented by Mr Watt, secretary general at the Department of Health, to his line minister, Stephen Donnelly, who in turn will account to the Taoiseach.
Senior Government sources have made clear that existing rules make no provision for such a secondment from the civil service to the wider public service.
The proposed move was in contravention to those rules, the leaders are to conclude tonight.
“There is the policy in place in terms of secondments, which only allows a move within the civil service,” said one senior source. “There is a question as to whether you broaden that out to include the wider public service. So it is only civil service to civil service.”
Michael McGrath, the public expenditure minister, is also seeking answers regarding where the money was to come from to pay for Dr Holohan’s proposed Trinity role.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the Government had been “blindsided" by the now-abandoned secondment, while the man responsible for it is likely to escape any sanction.
Asked if he had confidence in Mr Watt, the Taoiseach said: “He is a capable public servant — but there are procedures.”
Mr Martin described the episode of Dr Holohan’s secondment as “deeply regrettable” and said it “could have been handled better”.
“We’re not happy in the sense that there was a lot of surprise in the manner in which it emerged,” said the Taoiseach.
Shying away from any talk of sanctioning of Mr Watt, Mr Martin said he would “prefer to focus on the lessons that need to be learned and in resetting how these issues should handled”:
“Let’s see the report and let’s take in terms of the lessons to be learned in,” he said.
“Lessons have to be learned here but I think transparency from the outset would have been appropriate, and particularly in relation to all of the aspects of this.
Responding to strident criticism of Mr Watt from his own junior education minister, Niall Collins, who accused the official of “displaying breathtaking arrogance and contempt”, Mr Martin said the discussion should avoid personal attacks.
"It should be devoid of any personal attacks on anyone, and on public servants in particular,” he said.
Mr Martin said he was “puzzled” by a report in yesterday that the post was never to be funded by the taxpayer, as all of the bodies involved are State bodies funded by the exchequer.
Mr Martin said that details given to him on Thursday by Mr Donnelly made clear that Dr Holohan’s appointment was to be funded by the health department through the Health Research Board, a State body.
He said that, from his perspective, the appointment was a policy matter, not a personnel issue, adding that discussions on the issue should not be “personalised”.
A spokesman for Mr Donnelly said the minister asked Mr Watt for a detailed briefing note on the process for the proposed secondment.
On Saturday, Dr Holohan announced he would not be taking up the role, saying he did not wish to see the controversy continuing.
“In particular, I wish to avoid any further unnecessary distraction that this has caused to our senior politicians and civil servants,” he said.
Following his departure, he said he looks forward to sharing his knowledge and expertise “outside of the public service".