LAST UPDATE | 6 Dec 2021

TÁNAISTE LEO VARADKAR has said that its “not the case whatsoever” that NPHET need the Government’s permission to speak to the media, calling the reports “a bit of a sideshow”.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live, he said that there had been “mixed messages” in relation to Covid-19 in the last number of weeks from both the public health advice body and the Government due to “a plethora of voices” which the public “find hard to distinguish”. 

“The decision that was made by Government was that anybody who’s going on media should coordinate that media with an office in the Department of the Taoiseach which is called The Government Information Service (GIS),” he said. 

“So before I came on tonight, for example, I informed GIS that I will be on this program and GIS made sure that I had an up to date briefing on all the things that are happening with Covid because what has happened on occasions is you’ve somebody out at 10am and somebody out on a different programs at 1pm not knowing what the last person had said because there is no coordination, and this is all about coordination.”

He also said that he believes the public want “clear information and clear communications” and that they all have a responsibility in that regard, including politicians and ministers.

We haven’t always got it right either. I’m sure there’s plenty of examples that you can use ministers who maybe said things that are off beat, and we want to make sure we get that better, and I really don’t think anyone should feel threatened by an attempt by GIS to coordinate things a bit better.

“It’s certainly not the case that anyone’s going to be told not to go on a particular program,” he added. 

It comes after the Taoiseach said that “at no stage will any effort be made to compromise the independence” of advice from NPHET regarding public health, after reports over the weekend that the body will need to coordinate with the government before giving media interviews.

The reports emerged when leaks from a list of recommendations from NPHET on new Covid-19 restrictions made it to the media before Cabinet met to discuss its contents and make decisions on it.

The issue of leaks from Cabinet has already been on the government’s agenda this year. 

Speaking at a press conference today, Micheál Martin said that “members of NPHET will always be facilitated by government in terms of articulating public health”. 

Public health advice is “essential to our response to the pandemic”, he said, adding that members of NPHET will also be facilitated when appearing in the media. 

“There was a need in government to coordinate the wider message, to make sure there’s a proper grid system. 

“So we do acknowledge the coordination piece. I’m not into stopping anyone from going on the public airwaves; we’re a democracy,” Martin said. 

Asked by one journalist why some members of NPHET, who were booked to go on air over the weekend, were later withdrawn, Martin said he was not familiar with those details. 

“I’m actually trying to check that out to be honest because that didn’t come from my office,” he said. 

He underlined the need to share public health advice, to coordinate, and to “evaluate how the messaging is received by the public,” as “in some cases, it was not as helpful as it could have been.”

With reporting from Jane Moore