Paschal tells how heartache of the interview slowed down his world

FINANCE Minister Paschal Donohoe told the Dáil yesterday that his ‘own world began to slow down and then stop’ when he heard Emma Mhic Mhathúna on Morning Ireland.

Listening to the mother of five speak about having to ‘sit down and talk to her young children and family about what doesn’t lie ahead is a prospect that slows us all down and makes us reflect on the obligations that we have as members of Government and of this Dáil’, he said. He said the ‘only agenda this Government has is to establish what happened, which is why we moved so quickly’.

The Government’s obligation is ‘to the health and lives of women’, he said.

When he was challenged by Sinn Féin’s Louise O’Reilly to say if he had confidence in HSE boss Tony O’Brien, who later resigned, Mr Donohoe said: ‘I believe the greatest duty we have at the moment is how we restore confidence in programmes that have saved lives, that have helped with the health of women. And because of that I believe that Mr O’Brien should continue in his work across the next number of weeks.

‘He has been in front of Oireachtas committees over the last number of days, to be accountable in his role as CEO of the HSE. After this, I understand he will be, this afternoon, working with the team and responding back to questions on the great uncertainty that is there at the moment.’

Labour’s Alan Kelly said Ms Mhic Mhathúna’s interview was ‘quite devastating’ and something he ‘will never forget’.