THE CHIEF MEDICAL officer has put the delay in publishing minutes of meetings held with members of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) down to a “workload issue”.

Minutes of meetings contain information around what was discussed, who attended and actions decided, but while the group meets twice a week, there have been no minutes published since 11 April. 

“The explanation for that is a very simple one,” CMO Dr Tony Holohan said this evening.

“It’s a huge exercise and I said some of this last week – it meets twice a week, a four hour meeting. It’s a huge job for the secretariat of that to turn around minutes and there has been a bit of a log jam, including some of them sitting on my desk, for the purpose of being cleared.

“It’s just a workload issue and trying to prioritise as much as possible, we’re committed to the principle of transparency. What has to happen now is that some of those sets of minutes which are written, need to be circulated and discussed at the regular meeting, which would be normal course with any committee and approved for publication.”

Holohan insisted it was no “resiling from, or lack of commitment to the principle of transparency” and said he expected an updated minutes will be available later this week. 

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been challenged on transparency and the decision-making process of the NPHET.

Both Labour Party leader Alan Kelly and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin raised the issue. 

“Who is NPHET ultimately accountable to? Who makes the final decisions? Do NPHET have to consult with you or the Minister for Health before making formal announcements that affect all the citizens of this country?”, Kelly said. 

Varadkar at the time said he accepted the points on transparency but asked people to understand that this is a fast-moving situation.

There are currently 32 members of the NPHET, including the CMO and chair Dr Tony Holohan.

Other faces – which people may be familiar with from nightly press conferences at the Department of Health – include Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer for the HSE. 

With reporting from Michelle Hennessy