On Thursday Village‘s editor, Michael Smith, wrote to Leo Varadkar:
“Dear Tánaiste,
You referred in the Dáil on 10 November to the impossibility of your
having had ten encounters in 2019 with Dr Matt Ó Tuathail. You said
many of the encounters referred to at
https://villagemagazine.ie/at-least-10-times-not-2-or-3/ were
impossible. Can you please say how many, and which of them, you
consider you have now shown – as opposed to just stated without
evidence – did not happen. Can you kindly please give information
that shows you were in Barcelona at a time that proves you could not
have had any particular one of the ten alleged encounters with Dr Ó
Tuathail.
You also pointedly told the Dáil you had not spoken to Dr Ó Tuathail
in nine days, after you understandably spoke to him on three occasions
after Village‘s story broke. Can you please state whether Matt
Barrett spoke to Dr Ó Tuathail on your behalf or otherwise about the
leak affair and/or its fallout in that nine-day period.
Can you please say if you ever discussed Community Hospital Ireland
with Dr Ó Tuathail.
I would be grateful for a reply within 24 hours to meet a deadline.
Kind regards,
Michael Smith
Editor, Village Magazine
6 Ormond Quay Upper, Dublin 7, Ireland”.
This evening (Friday) a spokesperson for the Tánaiste replied:
“The Tánaiste answered questions on these matters in two sittings and over five hours of Dáil debate.
In relation to Community Health Ireland, Dr. O’Toole sent a brochure to the Tánaiste in November 2018 for information and informed him that it was being piloted in co-operation with the HSE. The Tánaiste did not take any further action on the matter”.
