IN the first row between Government and Opposition since the formation of the new Coalition, the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, has been accused of "jack- boot politics" for rescinding job appointments made by his predecessor, Mr Michael Noonan.
Confirming his decision to revoke 24 appointments to the State's eight health boards, Mr Cowen said last night that "valid appointments" would be made shortly. He had taken legal advice and had warned the last minister, Mr Michael Noonan, on June 11th that he should not proceed with the appointments just before leaving office since the vacancies did not fall due until yesterday, he said.
Those originally appointed include the former Fine Gael minister of state, Mr Bernard Allen, the Labour TD, Mr Toddy O'Sullivan, who lost his seat in the general election, and Ms Kathleen Lynch of Democratic Left, who also lost her Dail place.
According to Mr Cowen, he had told Mr Noonan five days after the general election it would be unconscionable" for him to even contemplate appointments which would not fall vacant until this month. It would be "a demeaning exercise for appointees as they would not subsequently be able to stay in office," he said.
Mr Cowen's action in removing the 24 individuals led to an explosion of anger in Opposition circles and prompted accusations of engaging in "petty political vindictiveness" and "rank hypocrisy".
Mr Noonan said it was "jack-boot politics at its worst", adding that the appointment of 24 members was properly done "in accordance with the advice I received within the Department of Health and with precedents for similar appointments in the past, including Minister Cowen himself".
"Mr Cowen's decision to remove persons properly appointed to health boards is unprecedented and is clearly motivated by Fianna Fail's desire to appoint their own political cronies to these positions," Mr Noonan added.
Accusing the Minister of making "totally bogus" use of the 1970 Health Act to remove the appointees, he said this was his first decision since taking office and clearly demonstrated that party political considerations ranked higher on his priority list than any "considerations of decency, fair play or the good health of the community".
No doubt the Progressive Democrats would "stand idly by" and fail to condemn the "bully-boy tactics of the Minister".
Condemning the decision, the Democratic Left leader, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, said those appointed to the health boards by the previous government were people with a long record of public service. Mr Cowen had made 10 appointments to State boards in his last week in office. The rainbow government made "only a fraction" of the appointments made by the last Fianna Fail administration between November 1992 and the election of a new government in January 1993.
The former Health Minister, Mr Brendan Howlin, said Mr Cowen's decision to rescind "legally valid appointments" was unparalleled and set a dangerous precedent for further State appointments. It represented Fianna Fail "arrogance at its worst". Mr Jimmy Homan, of the Workers' Party, described the Minister's move as a "sordid affair".