HARRIS CLINGS TO HIS CAREER
SIMON Harris is fighting for his political life this weekend after his disastrous handling of the National Children’s Hospital costs fiasco.
Critics are demanding the Taoiseach sack the bungling Health Minister who has brought the survival of the Government into the frame.
Mr Harris has shown a serious lack of judgment which has led all of the main opposition parties except Fianna Fail to lose confidence in him over the Dublin project.
He is facing potential dismissal after explosive emails and memos released on Thursday revealed he was made aware in August the National Children’s Hospital scheme was over budget by €191million.
Yet, it was nearly another three months before he told Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe and Leo Varadkar about the massive runaway costs on November 9.
Sinn Fein was the first to call for his head after the contents of the messages were made public.
They further upped the ante yesterday when party leader Mary Lou Mcdonald wrote a letter to Fianna Fail asking the party to back its push for Mr Harris’ resignation.
However, leader Micheal Martin is not prepared to pull the trigger yet and has asked for Mr Harris to make a thorough statement to the Dail on Tuesday instead.
Ms Mcdonald said: “What has been revealed amounts to failures of governance and accountability at all levels of government.
“An Taoiseach’s confidence in his Minister for Health and his claim that he acted correctly have no credibility.
“Sinn Fein has no confidence in Minister Harris. “His position is untenable in the face of mounting crises in our health services. He