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Róisín Shortall resigns as Primary Care Minister

The Labour Party TD’s decision follows a much-publicised dispute with the Health Minister James Reilly. She has also resigned the Labour Party whip.

Updated at 21:10

RÓISÍN SHORTALL HAS resigned as Minister of State for Primary Care.

The Labour Party TD’s decision follows a much-publicised dispute with the Health Minister James Reilly over a number of issues including the allocation of new primary care centres to Reilly’s constituency.

She has also resigned the Labour Party whip, the fourth TD from the party to so since the formation of the coalition government following Patrick Nulty, Tommy Broughan and Willie Penrose who also resigned as housing minister.

In a statement Shortall blamed her resignation on a “lack of support for the reforms in the Programme for Government, and the values which underpin it”.

She said that the public had a right to expect decisions on infrastructure and staffing within the health service to be made “in the public interest based on health need and not driven by other concerns”.

Shortall said that her resignation came after “repeated and lengthy efforts” to reach agreement on implementation of the Programme for Government.

The Department of Health could not immediately be reached for comment. Shortall could also not be reached for comment.

It is understood that her resignation was finalised at her office in Leinster House.

At a meeting in Balbriggan this evening, Minister Reilly said that it would not be appropriate  to make any comment for the moment. “The first I learned about it was on the way out here”.  In response to a question from TheJournal.ie reporter Paul Hyland as to Shorthall’s criticism of the government’s failure to enact the programme for government, he said:

We support the programme for government. You’ll see we are enacting it. Parts of it may be behind but we’re going to do it.

The Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore expressed his regret at the decision. “I regret and am disappointed at the decision. I wish to thank her for her work as Minister of State at the Department of Health.”

A number of Labour TDs have tweeted expressing their sadness at Shortall’s departure. Meath East deputy Dominic Hannigan said: “Very sad to see Roisin go”.

While, Dublin North deputy Brendan Ryan said: “So sorry Roisin Shortall has resigned. Lot of support for her within the party grassroots and the general public!”

While Fine Gael TD, Alan Farrell, tweeted: “It’s easy to oppose, harder to make the tough decisions.”

Earlier: Reilly and Shortall meet to discuss primary care centres

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177 Comments
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    Mute sparky
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    Apr 15th 2017, 9:41 PM

    Did I just read this..jasyus I did…I did need to get out more..but nobody has ever explained to me why Broccoli goes cold as soon as you cook it..I’ve never had hot Broccoli yet..

    272
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    Mute Gary
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    Apr 15th 2017, 9:51 PM

    @sparky: Broccoli has a very high surface area per unit weight compared to other veg. This high surface area allows for higher rates of heat transfer to occur between the broccoli and the air. The stems of the broccoli are also a lot less dense than other vegetables too so heat transfer occurs more rapidly for that reason as well.

    249
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    Mute molly coddled
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    Apr 15th 2017, 11:52 PM

    @sparky: always preheat your plate.

    55
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    Mute Jack Cassady
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    Apr 15th 2017, 9:34 PM

    Another valuable scientific endeavour….
    Thank God for religion, that’s all I can say.

    37
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    Mute Abcd
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    Apr 15th 2017, 11:17 PM

    Stephen Hawking must be glad he is still alive to read this. Good to know scientists have their prioritys right. Serious illnesses & research is not important if shoelaces become undone according to these scientists. This is an insult to scientists everywhere.

    23
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    Mute Paddy Ryan
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    Apr 15th 2017, 11:23 PM

    @Abcd: If you’d bother to actually read the article you’d see that it does have a serious side in preventing injury.

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    Mute Paddy Ryan
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    Apr 15th 2017, 11:24 PM

    @Jack Cassady: Guess what Jack… turns out God didn’t do this either…

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    Mute Abcd
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    Apr 16th 2017, 7:48 AM

    @Paddy Ryan: My shoelaces have not undone since i was about 6. We where taught too secure all footwear & loose clothing especially near any machinery.

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    Mute Tomasz Irlandczik Krótki
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    Apr 16th 2017, 8:35 PM

    @Abcd: move on to ‘é’ and the rest of the alphabet as soon as you can. Then complete your education, concentrating on logic, but not forgetting reading and comprehension. Then read this article once more. If you do not understand it differently the second time around, you are probably ineducable.

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    Mute Paul Culligan
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    Apr 15th 2017, 11:30 PM

    Jasus, this article had me in knots.

    27
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    Mute Mark Fields
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    Apr 16th 2017, 3:19 AM

    Double knot always works for me. Takes2 seconds longer to untie but worth it for one pair of athletic shoes with laces that untie within 10 minutes of tying the knot.

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    Mute Colleen McGovern
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    Apr 15th 2017, 10:04 PM

    Bunny ears, bunny ears, playing by a tree. Criss-crossed the tree, trying to catch me. Bunny ears, Bunny ears, jumped into the hole, popped out the other side beautiful and bold.”

    20
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    Mute Tomasz Irlandczik Krótki
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    Apr 16th 2017, 8:36 PM

    @Colleen McGovern: what you rabbitin’ on about, Willis?

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    Mute Harry Whitehead
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    Apr 16th 2017, 1:48 AM

    “…unable to lift his foot off the gas…”

    Enough of the Yankisms

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    Mute George Hogan
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    Apr 16th 2017, 1:42 PM

    Hahaha, yet you use an Americanism in your appeal to eschew a ‘Yankism’!
    Enough with the Little Englander mentality. The world uses American English and in Ireland we use, increasingly, American spelling. You can color it whatever way you wish, but the English used in Ireland and in our neighboring island is moving toward the American standard.

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    Mute rowan hill
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    Apr 15th 2017, 10:39 PM

    Seriously

    12
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    Mute Paul Downes
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    Apr 15th 2017, 9:40 PM

    My guess is it’ll be a combination of vibration from the foot/shoe in normal thread action and the laces swinging. The result of both actions causing the knot to work itself loose.

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    Mute Cillian McCormick
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    Apr 15th 2017, 10:18 PM

    @Paul Downes: My guess is its explained in the article.

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    Mute Glen Harding
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    Apr 16th 2017, 9:10 AM

    Good on you journal. That’s a fine piece of copy and pasting from a piece of news that was reported on around the globe last week.

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    Mute Tom Kennedy
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    Apr 16th 2017, 8:01 AM

    So, am I right in thinking a bunch of scientists have basically determined through scientific research that lases come undone because we/i don’t make a proper knot?? Out with lases in with velcro. I think we need a tribunal!

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    Mute Grá Design - Dublin
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    Apr 16th 2017, 10:16 AM

    Ah lads, this was solved a long time ago. It’s to do with the direction in which you tie the knot. 3 min video on Ted Talks explains it.
    Terry Moore: How to tie your shoes
    http://go.ted.com/NQ2rKQ

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    Mute Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
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    Apr 16th 2017, 4:21 AM

    I kid you knot!!!

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    Mute Niall Cunneen
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    Apr 16th 2017, 6:50 AM

    Who the hell finds this kind of research ? The scouts ?

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    Mute Niall Cunneen
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    Apr 16th 2017, 6:51 AM

    #Funds#

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    Mute Cathal MacDocraigh
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    Apr 16th 2017, 8:00 PM

    Jesus these lads are busy

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