White to replace Shortall
The Dublin South TD Alex White is to become the new Junior Health Minister.
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has appointed him to the post with responsibility for Primary Care, following Róisín Shortall's resignation from the job last night, saying there was a lack of support in the department and across government for the promises made in the programme for government.
Elected to the Dáil in 2011 after a term in the Seanad, White was also a current affairs producer with RTE, working on a wide range of radio programmes from 1984 to 1994 before leaving RTÉ to take up practice as a barrister.
Meanwhile, the Taoiseach is resisting opposition calls on him to reconsider the appointment of Health Minister, James Reilly.
Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin say the suitability of Minister Reilly must be questioned after Shortall's resignation.
Enda Kenny is rejecting that the former Junior Health Minister's decision has destabilised the coalition government and he is also dismissing opposition claims that Minister Reilly is creating chaos across the health service.
"The health service is not lacking direction, the health service is part of the focus of government in a deliberate way. Minister Reilly has the toughest programme in government as a frontline minister in terms of the changes he has to make and is required to make."
Click to stay connected with
more stories like this:
more stories like this:
