“It is unacceptable for the Minister and his Department to suggest…”

Possibly related to the point Mick was making…  The former leader of Sinn Féin in the Dáil, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, TD, has taken exception to part of a statement by Irish Health Minister, James Reilly, TD, committing the Irish Government to work in partnership with their Northern Ireland counterparts on the development of a new radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin. 

Although, the same lines were first delivered by Labour TD, Kathleen Lynch, on the Minister’s behalf, in the Dáil on 24th March without much ado…

ANYhoo… here’s the offending paragraph

The Irish Government will work in partnership with our Northern Ireland counterparts on the development of this new facility. It is estimated that Irish patients will comprise roughly one third of the number of patients who will attend the new centre for radiotherapy services and therefore our contribution will equate to approximately one third of the full cost of the radiotherapy facilities.

And Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin’s objection?

“I note that in his reply Minister Reilly states that ‘Irish patients will comprise roughly one third of the number of patients who will attend the new centre’ at Altnagelvin. By this I presume he means patients who live in this jurisdiction. It is unacceptable for the Minister and his Department to suggest that those living in the Six Counties are not Irish.”

Oh dear…

Pete Baker