Mary Harney Quits Cabinet

The Minister for Health, Mary Harney, has quit her position in the cabinet only days after Taoiseach Brian Cowen's narrow victory in a vote of confidence.

On Wednesday, the Foreign Minister Michael Martin also announced his resignation from the cabinet, after failing to successfully defeat the Taoiseach during a vote of no confidence.

Mary Harney's five-year tenure as Health Secretary has been mired in controversy. Last year alone, the Minister was attacked by protestors on two separate occasions while facing regular complaints from the public, Opposition parties and unions.

Last week, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said hospitals were experiencing the highest ever number of patients stranded on trolleys.

The Labour Party's Susan O'Keeffe responded to the news of Ms Harney's resignation saying that departure of Mary Harney as Minister for Health should be cause for celebration as her tenure as head of the department had seen the HSE become a byword for failure and inefficiency.

"Loss of morale among workers on the frontline is on a scale never seen in the public sector while members of the public cross fingers and toes in a vain hope to simply not be ill. Trolley watch figures are appalling but only a tiny visible indication of the kind of trouble the health service is really in as budget cuts start to bite and the lack of any coherence for the future becomes more apparent.

"Mental health services, public health, children, primary health care, cancer services; there is hardly an area of health that has not been damaged by this minister."

Ms Harney also announced that she would not be standing in the next election and claimed her reason for leaving the department was that she did not believe it was appropriate for someone who was not running in the election to continue to serve in Cabinet.

According to reports this morning, the Minister had informed the Taoiseach of her decision last week, but he had asked her to hold off on the announcement.

Ms Harney is the selection of the Dublin Mid West constituency and served as Tánaiste from 1997–2006, and as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from 1997–2004.

She was previously leader of the Progressive Democrats between 1993 to 2008, but the party collapsed while she was leader.

Ms Harney is the longest ever serving female member of Dáil Éireann.

(DW)