Taoiseach Micheál Martin has defended the attendance of Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and Department of Health secretary-general Robert Watt at a health and wellness expo in Dubai.
Mr Martin insisted the United Arab Emirates event offered “a lot of economic leverage” for Ireland and its commitment to expanding value-added exports.
The Taoiseach also said it was important Ireland was represented at a major international event which offers economic potential in keeping with Global Ireland 2025 goals.
“It is the Expo – it is a major world event,” Mr Martin said.
“They are there with Irish healthcare companies and Enterprise Ireland. We were at a summit this morning on startups and entrepreneurship where the whole emphasis was on international connectivity and Ireland exporting abroad.”
“It is part of the Global Ireland 2025 initiative that they are there.
There is a lot of economic leverage and a lot of economic opportunities in the health arena.”
It emerged Mr Donnelly and Mr Watt travelled to Dubai as controversy continued to rage over the civil servant’s €81,000 salary increase.
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Fianna Fáil TD and chair of the Oireachtas Finance Committee John McGuinness said it “beggars belief” that both Mr Watt and Mr Donnelly are in Dubai in a week when the health service has been engulfed in controversy over the south Kerry CAMHS scandal.
“I think the man who is being paid €295,000 should be at his desk in the Department of Health rather than at some expo in Dubai,” Mr McGuinness said.
“I think it is a bad judgment on both of their behalf to be both absent from the Department at a time like this.”
Mr McGuinness said ministers were “rightly held to account” over incidents that happened on their watch, but there should be accountability in the civil service too.
The six-month-long exhibition in the hugely wealthy Arab state will focus on mental and physical well-being for the coming days and an Irish delegation flew into Dubai earlier this week.
It is understood they flew to the event in economy-class seats and are not staying in one of the more expensive hotels in Dubai.
A Department of Health spokesperson said: “Minister Donnelly and secretary-general Watt are attending and participating in Health Week Expo 2020. This includes supporting Irish companies operating in the region.”
Mr Watt faced calls this week from three senior Cabinet ministers to reveal whether he was still waiving his €81,000 pay increase.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys and Tourism Minister Catherine Martin all said the senior civil servant should be transparent about his taxpayer-funded pay.
Mr Watt refused to answer questions on his salary until ministers called on him to reveal whether he was still waiving the top-up.
When he was first appointed as secretary-general at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Watt said he would waive the top-up until the economy improved.
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