Watt stands over role in proposed Holohan secondment

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has ordered an external review into the circumstances surrounding the appointment of State chief medical officer Tony Holohan as a professor in Trinity College Dublin following an unapologetic defence by Robert Watt of his role in the matter.

Mr Watt also defended his decision not to inform Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly that Dr Holohan was not retiring but would retain his departmental salary of €187,000.

In a briefing note setting out the circumstances behind the proposed appointment as professor of public health strategy at TCD, Mr Watt has stood over his role and makes no apology for his part in the process.

He also defended his decision not to inform Mr Donnelly that it was a secondment, claiming there was “nothing unusual” about the arrangement. Dr Holohan, he stated, wanted a secondment arrangement as that would protect his salary and benefits.

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He also denies that Mr Martin and other members of the Government were “kept in the dark,” saying that the secretary general of government Martin Fraser was aware of the proposed secondment move in late February and early march.

Dr Holohan said in a statement on Saturday that he will not proceed with the secondment and will retire from July instead.

Mr Watt accepts in the course of the 12-page briefing note that “elements of this were not communicated well and there are learnings for the Department of Health in this respect”.

He said the press release of the appointment on March 25th had to be rushed out. “In retrospect this allowed inferences to be drawn which are inaccurate,” he said.

In the final paragraph, Mr Watt again defends his decision not to tell Mr Donnelly about the secondment. He said it was appropriate for him to tell the Minister about the appointment but not the details, including the secondment.

The briefing note was released by the department on Wednesday along with a statement from Mr Donnelly.

Comprehensive reply

In an indication that he wishes for a more comprehensive reply, Mr Donnelly says the briefing note was completed in a “few short days” and also says he is initiating a review of the secondment as well as the research proposal that Mr Watt made to Trinity College.

“It is fully appropriate for there to be scrutiny of significant appointments and announcements. Such scrutiny should be devoid of personalised commentary directed at civil servants,” he said.

It is understood the review was ordered by the Taoiseach.

The department also released a letter of comfort Mr Watt wrote to provost of TCD Prof Linda Doyle, which he described as a “backstop” in his briefing note.

In the letter, he guarantees the department will pay Dr Holohan’s salary and he also pledges to pay the university a “ringfenced” sum of €2 million per annum to set up, support and operate the new chair on public health strategy.

Mr Watt says in the note that the funding would come by way of research funding from the Health Research Board. But that board has told The Irish Times they were not party, or aware, of any of arrangements proposed by the Department of Health and TCD.