Prime Minister pledges his '100 per cent' support for Health Secretary
Tory MP Nadine Dorries says No 10 encouraged ministers to 'smear' Lansley Escalation comes after three unnamed Ministers call for Bill to be scrapped

By Simon Walters

Last updated at 11:40 AM on 12th February 2012

Rattled David Cameron has been forced to come out fighting to save his NHS reforms and prevent Health Secretary Andrew Lansley falling victim to a dirty tricks plot by Cabinet Ministers.

In an angry meeting at No?10, he thumped the table as he vowed to press ahead with the changes, saying: ‘We’ve not shed blood on these proposals not to go through with them.’

Last night he stepped up his offensive, reading the riot act to rebel Ministers, pledging his ‘100 per cent’ support for embattled Mr Lansley, and declaring he is ‘absolutely determined’ not to do a U-turn on the health shake-up. 

Coming out fighting: David Cameron, the Prime Minister, left, last night stepped up his offensive as he tries to save his controversial NHS reforms and the career of his Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, right

But Mr Cameron faced a fierce counter-attack by Tory MP and  ex-nurse Nadine Dorries, who supports the reforms and claims No?10 had encouraged Ministers to ‘smear’ Mr Lansley.

‘Lansley is toast. It is clear that Cameron wants to kill his own NHS Bill – and Andrew Lansley’s career with it,’ she writes in today’s Mail on Sunday.

She says that instead of pillorying Mr Lansley, No?10 should have advised him on how to explain his reforms to patients.

 

Counter-attack: Tory MP Nadine Dorries has laid into Mr Cameron, claiming No 10 had encouraged Ministers to 'smear' Mr Lansley

The escalation in the NHS row came after three unnamed Cabinet Ministers used a Tory website to call for the Bill to be scrapped.

Mr Cameron said yesterday: ‘Andrew Lansley has my 100 per cent support. He is a very strong Health Secretary and is staying  in his job.’

And in a warning shot to Mr Lansley’s Cabinet enemies, a Downing Street spokesman added: ‘The Prime Minister is quite clear – the collective responsibility of the Cabinet means that Mr Lansley has its full support.’

Mr Cameron called the rebel Ministers’ bluff by challenging them to repeat their private criticism of Mr Lansley to him.

The spokesman said: ‘No one has raised this issue with him either before or after these reports appeared.’

In a further sign of his concern, Mr Cameron referred to the way the NHS helped him and wife Samantha cope with their disabled son Ivan, who died in 2009, as proof of his personal faith in the health service.

He said: ‘The reforms are necessary; I am totally committed to the NHS; I and my family have personal experience  of it and I want it to remain free at the point of use.’

He plans to take personal charge of the NHS changes following a loss of confidence in Mr Lansley among voters and Ministers alike.

Mr Cameron will visit a hospital this week in a public display of his commitment to the NHS and plans a series of interviews spelling out why the changes are needed.

Ivan, Mr Cameron's late son: The PM referred to the way the NHS helped him and wife Samantha cope with the disabled son boy, who died in 2009, as proof of his personal faith in the health service

Ministers are increasingly alarmed at the way the NHS Bill, designed to slash bureaucracy and boost efficiency by switching power and money to GPs and patients, has come under attack from Labour, the Lib Dems – and now the Tory Cabinet.

Many Tory MPs think it is too late to save Mr Lansley. Claims that the legislation could be a repeat of the ill-fated Poll Tax that helped bring down Margaret Thatcher have set alarm bells ringing.

Tim Montgomerie, of grassroots website ConservativeHome, said three Cabinet Ministers had urged him to call for the reforms to be dropped – and Mr Lansley sacked.

Opponents? Chancellor George Osborne has publicly supported the reforms, but some MPs say he has privately expressed doubts. Michael Gove, the Education Secretary is also said to be worried about the plan

His statement led to intense speculation as to their identity.

Publicly, Chancellor George Osborne says he supports the  Bill – but some MPs say he has grave private doubts.

Education Secretary Michael Gove, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson and Leader of the Commons Sir George Young are also said to be worried about the reform plan.

By NADINE DORRIES

Last updated at 11:40 AM on 12th February 2012

Last week a prominent political journalist wrote that a No?10 aide had said: ‘Lansley should be taken out and shot.’

Let’s get one thing straight: if you work in No?10 and you say something like that to a newspaper, you absolutely know it is going to be reported and you would only say it if you had been told to say it – or you wanted to lose your job.

No?10 aides aren’t known for their professional kamikaze tendencies so it has to be assumed that whoever said it was acting under orders.

'Machiavellian tendencies': Ms Dorries, right, says the order to smear Mr Lansley was 'most likely' given by Chancellor Osborne, left, as part of an orchestrated campaign against the Health Secretary

In my view, those orders are most likely to have been issued by George Osborne, who knocks the Machiavellian tendencies of Gordon Brown into the shadows.

Such a briefing sends a clear message to Ministers: it was code for the Prime Minister’s general direction of travel. It said: ‘Feel free to start smearing Lansley.’

David Cameron’s endorsement of Lansley in the Commons on Wednesday, when he told Ed  Miliband that Lansley’s chance of holding on to his job was ‘safer than yours’, was conspicuously tepid, bearing in mind Miliband’s dismal ratings. There is only one conclusion: Lansley is toast.

The same No?10 aide also mooted the possibility of former Labour Minister Alan Milburn being appointed to the Lords and put in charge of overseeing the NHS reforms. Again, it is my view that this was a carefully calculated, deliberate leak.

There was never a more vexatious piece of legislation than the NHS Bill, which Lansley has been immersed in for seven years.

His reforms run through every vein and artery of the NHS and are exactly the kind of changes a blue-sky-thinking Conservative Government should be implementing. These are reforms, I might add, that Cameron supported, before the Liberal Democrats mutilated the Bill with hundreds of amendments.

It should have been a winner: Unfortunately, Mr Lansley's attention to detail made it almost impossible for him to speak about the reforms in terms people could understand, Ms Dorries says

The NHS reforms were being worked out long before we were in a coalition and the initial Bill was Conservative to its core, as far from a Liberal Democrat top-heavy view of the NHS as you could possibly get.

The irony is that, originally, it wasn’t that difficult to sell. Messages which articulated the fact that GPs became holders of budgets which empowered patients and put them in the driving seat were clear and simple to get over.

All patients needed to be told was that they would be able to sit in front of a GP and ask: ‘You hold the purse strings now, why can’t I have that drug?’

It should have been a winner with the public. Unfortunately, Lansley’s attention to detail made it almost impossible for him to speak about the reforms in terms people could understand.

He is a man of exceptional intelligence but speaks in the jargon of integrated care pathways, learning networks and triggers for intervention.

The reforms are highly complex and No?10 should have helped Lansley to explain them. Instead they have left him to his fate.

Then Nick Clegg’s chippy Lib Dems got their teeth into the Bill.

They have caused so much mischief, you could be forgiven for forgetting we are in a coalition.

They may have only 52 MPs, but they display the arrogance of a party that knows it holds the balance of power – even though they face annihilation at the next General Election. 

Machinations: Mr Cameron, center, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, background left, and Mr Lansley, on a visit to a patient ward at Frimley Park hospital in April last year

It is clear that Cameron wants  to kill his own NHS Bill – and Lansley’s career with it. Now that Downing Street has started to smear one of its own Secretaries of State, confidence in the Bill and Lansley – a dedicated and loyal public servant, whose only crime has been to apply his immense intelligence and Conservative principles with absolute dedication – will collapse.

A new Secretary of State will be appointed to carry the changes through to a natural conclusion. Many have already been put in place. Primary Health Care Trusts have all but gone; GPs have organised themselves into consortiums; hospitals have adapted.

What is left of Lansley’s reforms will be jettisoned. No doubt it will placate Clegg, but at the expense of a better health service.

I fear the malicious briefings will continue and Lansley will be replaced as soon as Cameron and Clegg can agree upon a replacement ready to please the Lib Dems.

Sadly, it merely goes to show just how far Cameron has removed himself from core Conservative principles.

 

Continued here:
NHS reforms: David Cameron lashes out at Cabinet back-stabbers in support of Andrew Lansley

Diane Prather

To make “Ham Chowder,” you’ll need:

• 2 cups diced potatoes

• 1 cup diced carrots

• 1 cup diced celery

• ¾ cup diced onion

• 8 slices bacon

• 2 cups cubed ham

• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup

• 3 to 4 cups milk

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Prepare vegetables, and put them in a large kettle or dutch oven with water to cook. While the vegetables are cooking, cook the bacon so that it can be crumbled.

Drain the bacon and let it cool slightly. When the vegetables are done, crumble the bacon and add it to the vegetables. Then add the ham, soup, and milk. Stir thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat thoroughly.

Clam chowder has been on my mind lately, and I don’t really have a great clam chowder recipe, so that’s what I recently requested from readers. In the meantime, I recently fixed a ham. I searched my files for a recipe to use up the leftover ham pieces. That’s when I found a ham chowder recipe.

The recipe calls for several ingredients, including vegetables, cubed ham and bacon. (I even thought about adding clams.) Anyway, I made the recipe, which makes a lot of servings, and it was quite tasty. I was wondering if the chowder might even have a more delicious taste if left in the refrigerator overnight.

However, as it turns out, there were no leftovers, not because my husband and I ate the entire pot of chowder, but because after putting the chowder in a big bowl, I accidentally hit it with my arm. Chowder ran down the cabinet doors, drenched my socks, and covered the floor in one gooey mess.

Pieces of potatoes and ham skipped across the floor to the other side of the kitchen. I hadn’t cleaned up such a mess in a long time.

But the chowder is good, and it’s a nice way to use leftover ham. So, if you’d like to make “Ham Chowder,” you’ll need these ingredients: 2 cups of diced potatoes; 1 cup diced carrots; 1 cup diced celery; ¾ cup diced onion; 2 cups cubed ham; 8 slices of bacon; 2 cans cream of mushroom soup; 3 to 4 cups milk; and salt and pepper, to taste.

Note: I didn’t think my husband and I would like as much celery, carrots, and onions as called for in the recipe so I cut these ingredients down to half. I used the two cups of diced potatoes, however.

In a large kettle or dutch oven, cook the potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion in water until done. I added enough water so that the vegetables were covered, brought the mixture to a boil, and reduced the heat, stirring occasionally. While the vegetables are cooking, fry the bacon until you can crumble it (but not too done). Cool the bacon. When the vegetables are done, crumble the bacon and add it to the vegetables.

Then add the ham, soup, milk, and salt and pepper. Stir well and simmer until thoroughly heated. Serve in bowls or mugs with a crisp green salad and crackers.

I’m still looking for a clam chowder recipe. If you have a favorite, call me at 824-8809 or write to me at P.O. Box 415, Craig, CO 81626.

Click here to have the print version of the Craig Daily Press delivered to your home.

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Over A Cup: ‘Ham Chowder’ a decent replacement for clam chowder

FRANKFORT — The chief of Kentucky's embattled Cabinet for Health and Family Services will step down on Feb. 29 to seek other opportunities, Gov. Steve Beshear announced Tuesday.

The resignation of Janie Miller comes at a difficult time for the agency that oversees Medicaid, child-protection, public health, programs for the elderly and other social services.

The cabinet has been under fire from health care providers, many of whom say they have not been paid or are receiving minimun payments since the state transitioned 560,000 Medicaid recipients to managed care on Nov. 1.

Under Miller's leadership, the cabinet also has lost legal battles with Kentucky's two largest newspapers over disclosure of state records regarding child abuse deaths.

One key lawmaker called on Miller to resign in December, saying the cabinet operates in a "shroud of secrecy," but other leading lawmakers have praised Miller and called her resignation on Tuesday a "travesty."

Miller, who joined Beshear's administration in 2007 and makes $125,332.32 a year, is leaving to pursue other unspecified opportunities.

"I have been blessed with a long and fulfilling career in public service," Miller said in a statement that praised her fellow state workers. "I am excited about the future."

Beshear lauded Miller, saying she has done "extraordinary work in an especially difficult time."

Kerri Richardson, a spokeswoman for Beshear, said Miller's resignation "was entirely her decision."

"If the governor had his way, Janie Miller would still be his Secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, but he understands her desire to move on to other opportunities," Richardson said.

Deputy secretary Eric Friedlander will serve as interim secretary of the cabinet as Beshear searches for a permanent replacement. Friedlander has served in the cabinet in a variety of roles since 1985.

Many praised Miller's leadership over the past four years, saying it was her experience that allowed the cabinet to weather so many rounds of budget cuts with minimal impact to vulnerable citizens.

Beshear said the cabinet has made great strides in providing more efficient services to Kentuckians.

Since 2007, the cabinet has overseen the improvement of care at Oakwood and Central State facilities and replaced aging infrastructure at Eastern State Hospital, Central State and Glasgow Nursing Facility. Oakwood had lost its Medicaid funding because of ongoing problems at the facility for the mentally disabled, but funding was restored under Miller's leadership.

The cabinet also has streamlined the qualification process and enrolled more than 60,000 children in the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program (KCHIP) and Medicaid, Beshear said.

Perhaps the most significant challenge to the cabinet, Beshear said, was the transition of 560,000 Medicaid recipients to a managed care program in less than nine months. The move is projected to save taxpayers $1.3 billion over three years, including $375 million in state General Funds

Rep. Jimmie Lee, D-Elizabethtown, worked closely with Miller over the past several years as chairman of a House budget review subcommittee on health. Miller was one of the most competent and qualified people to ever be secretary of the cabinet, he said.

"It's a real blow," Lee said. "She is the one that negotiated the contracts" with managed care companies.

Rep. Tom Burch, D-Louisville, said Miller's departure "is just a travesty."

"She's been a very good public servant for years," Burch said.

Burch, who is chairman of the House Health and Welfare Committee, said he does not believe Miller was forced out.

"I've never known her to cave under pressure," Burch said. "She's an iron horse."

Sen. Julie Denton, R-Louisville, called for Miller's resignation in December after holding hearings about the state's child-protection system and Medicaid.

Denton wished Miller well in her new endevours on Tuesday, but said she has no concern that switching secretaries will negatively affect the transition to managed care.

"I don't think it can get any worse than it already is," said Denton, chairwoman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. "We have so many provider groups out there who are owed millions of dollars that are not being paid."

Others said they were worried that Miller's resignation could make it even more difficult to iron out problems with three new managed care companies

"The timing of it is particularly problematic," said Sheila Schuster, executive director of the Kentucky Mental Health Coalition. "The community mental health centers and other providers are having so much trouble with the managed care organizations in terms of payment in a reasonable time period. ... It's really too bad to lose the secretary at this particular time. She certainly was knowlegable."

The cabinet has also been in a protracted legal battle with the Lexington Herald-Leader and The Courier-Journal of Louisville over records about children who were killed or nearly killed as a result of abuse and neglect.

A Franklin Circuit Court judge has ruled the cabinet must turn over such records. However, the cabinet and the newspapers are still arguing over what information can be redacted or edited from those files.

Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, which has pushed for more transparency in the state's child-protection system, said he thought Miller was "accessible and responsive."

"She took my compliments and my criticisms with a good degree of grace," Brooks said. "I think it would an unfair label to act as if Janie was the problem and now the problem's gone."

Still, he said the cabinet had been "tone deaf and defensive" about its handling of child fatalities.

In choosing the next secretary, Brooks said Beshear should focus on "accountability, transparency and openness."

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Chief of embattled Cabinet for Health and Family Services resigns

Romania's president has nominated a new prime minister, hours after the government resigned. Former leader Emil Boc faced public protests and an opposition boycott of parliament due to his stringent austerity program.

Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc resigned on Monday after weeks of protests against austerity measures he introduced.

"I have decided to tender the resignation of my government," Boc said in a cabinet meeting that was broadcast live.

DW.DE

Frustrated Romanians have been marching in Bucharest and other large cities for several days, armed with a growing list of grievances. Government officials have called for calm, but there's no end in sight. (17.01.2012) 

He defended his record, saying that he had "taken difficult decisions thinking about the future of Romania, not because I wanted to, but because I had to."

President Traian Basescu later appointed foreign intelligence chief Mihai Razzvan Ungureanu as the new prime minister, asking him to form a Cabinet, which must subsequently be approved by parliament.

Ungureanu said in a brief statement that his priority would be "the economic and political stability of Romania." The 43-year-old, a former foreign minister, is considered a loyal ally of Basescu. The opposition Liberal party, which opposes Basescu as it did Boc, has said that its parliamentary boycott is likely to continue.

Prior to announcing Ungureanu as his nominee for prime minister, Basescu had appointed Catalin Predoiu to serve as caretaker prime minister until a new Cabinet could be assembled. The lawyer was chosen as the only politically independent cabinet minister; he resigned from the opposition Liberal Party in 2008.

Controversial austerity measures

Tens of thousands of people had braved extreme cold over recent weeks to protest the social hardships caused by government belt-tightening.

Boc was a casualty of austerity

Boc's center-right cabinet pushed through harsh austerity measures, which included tens of thousands of job cuts, public salaries being slashed by a quarter and tax hikes. In return Bucharest received a 20-billion-euro ($26.3-billion) bailout from the International Monetary Fund and European Union.

The former leader's Democratic Liberal Party saw its support fall to 15 percent within a month and opposition politicians had been calling for new elections.

Boc, who took office in 2008, urged politicians on Monday to quickly organize snap elections. Parliamentary elections had been planned for later this year.

ncy/msh/ccp (Reuters, DAPD, AP, dpa)

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Romania scrambles to appoint replacement PM

The Irish Times - Saturday, February 4, 2012

MARK HENNESSY, London Editor

THE LIBERAL Democrats, junior partners in the British government, have been dealt a serious blow following the resignation from cabinet yesterday of Chris Huhne, who is to be prosecuted for attempting to pervert the course of justice. Mr Huhne’s decision to stand down as secretary of state for energy and climate was made an hour after he was told he would face charges.

Mr Huhne and his former wife, Vicky Pryce, will both be tried for the same offence, following her allegation last year that he got someone close to him to accept penalty points after he was allegedly captured on camera speeding on his way from the airport.

Ms Pryce’s allegation followed the acrimonious break-up of her 26-year marriage to Mr Huhne, who had an affair with an aide, Carina Trimingham.

Police investigated the matter after Labour MP Simon Danczuk made a complaint last May, but a decision to prosecute was not taken until detectives won a court battle against the Sunday Times to view emails written by Ms Pryce to the newspaper.

Initially, Mr Huhne believed he could remain in the cabinet while defending himself against the charges, but that was quickly judged untenable. His replacement, Ed Davey, was appointed within two hours.

Speaking briefly after the director of public prosecution’s decision, Mr Huhne, who has always been regarded as an ambitious, if unlikeable, individual, said: “I am innocent of these charges and I intend to fight them in the courts, and I am confident a jury will agree.”

His departure will affect the dynamic at the cabinet table, since he has been the Lib Dem most likely to challenge the prime minister, David Cameron, and the chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne.

Lib Dem leader and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said Mr Huhne’s work on climate change would “stand the test of time”, adding: “If he clears his name as he wishes, I have made it clear to him I would like to see him back in government in a key position.”

Mr Cameron was less effusive: “Like the deputy prime minister, I am sorry to see you leave the government under these circumstances and wish you well for the future.”

Mr Cameron’s spokesman did, however, acknowledge that Liberal Democrats ministerial appointments are Mr Clegg’s to decide.

The party will be under pressure to demonstrate that Mr Huhne’s removal will not impact on the UK’s climate change promises, despite an ever more sceptical attitude from the treasury and the chancellor.

Highlighting the pressures from the grassroots, former Lib Dem MP Evan Harris said, “There’s now an onus, or more of an onus, on Nick Clegg and his colleagues” to demonstrate the party’s separate voice in government.

Mr Huhne’s replacement, a junior minister since May 2010, is regarded as having been unspectacularly successful, although figures within the party are confident Mr Davey will be able to push the Lib Dem’s policies, if less abrasively than Mr Huhne.

Mr Davey was an orphan by the time he was 15 years old, following the loss of his father to Hodgkin’s disease when he was four and then his mother to cancer.

In 1994, he was awarded a police bravery medal for saving a woman who had fallen from a station platform in front of an incoming train.

Link:
Huhne departure will affect cabinet dynamic

Feb 3 2012

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have been forced into a mini-reshuffle of their ministerial team after the dramatic resignation of Chris Huhne from the Cabinet.

Mr Huhne quit as Energy and Climate Change Secretary to fight a criminal charge of perverting the course of justice after allegations that he asked ex-wife Vicky Pryce to take a speeding penalty on his behalf to avoid losing his driving licence.

In his resignation letter to Mr Cameron, Mr Huhne said he was standing down to mount "a robust defence" against the charge. Remaining in the Cabinet would be "distracting", both to his legal fight and to his Government work, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Mr Clegg announced later that his replacement at the head of the Department for Energy and Climate Change is business minister Ed Davey, who has won plaudits for his handling of the sensitive plans for the part-privatisation of the Royal Mail.

Mr Davey's promotion maintains the agreed proportion of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats around the Cabinet table fixed in the 2010 coalition negotiations.

But some Lib Dems will rue the departure of one of their hardest-hitting ministers, who was ready to stand up to Conservatives in Cabinet.

Mr Clegg said he had told Mr Huhne that he would like to see him "back in Government in a key position" if he clears his name.

The Lib Dem leader's parliamentary aide Norman Lamb was promoted to Mr Davey's former position in the Department for Business, while Lib Dem MP for Cardiff Central Jenny Willott becomes an assistant Government whip.

Mr Huhne will appear in court on February 16 to face a charge which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. His former wife, Ms Pryce, will face the same charge over a speeding penalty issued in March 2003. The claim emerged after Mr Huhne split from his wife of 26 years.

Excerpt from:
UK & World News: Cabinet reshuffle as Huhne quits

LIB Dem Ed Davey has been brought into the cabinet to replace Chris Huhne, and Cardiff MP Jenny Willot was given her first Government job as part of the reshuffle.

Mr Huhne quit as Energy and Climate Change Secretary to fight a criminal charge of perverting the course of justice after allegations that he asked ex-wife Vicky Pryce to take a speeding penalty on his behalf to avoid losing his driving licence.

In his resignation letter to Mr Cameron, Mr Huhne said he was standing down to mount “a robust defence” against the charge.

Remaining in the Cabinet would be “distracting”, both to his legal fight and to his Government work, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Mr Clegg announced his replacement at the head of the Department for Energy and Climate Change is business minister Ed Davey, who has won plaudits for his handling of the sensitive plans for the part-privatisation of the Royal Mail.

Mr Davey’s promotion maintains the agreed proportion of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats around the Cabinet table fixed in the 2010 coalition negotiations.

Lib Dem MP for Cardiff Central Jenny Willott, who has been in Parliament since 2005, becomes an asssistant Government whip.

But some Lib Dems will rue the departure of one of their hardest-hitting ministers, who was ready to stand up to Conservatives in Cabinet.

Mr Clegg said he had told Mr Huhne that he would like to see him “back in Government in a key position” if he clears his name.

The Lib Dem leader’s parliamentary aide Norman Lamb was promoted to Mr Davey’s former position in the Department for Business.

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Cardiff MP Jenny Willott wins Government job in reshuffle

Paul Appleby is to remain on in his position as Director of Corporate Enforcement for six months pending the appointment of a replacement.

It is understood he agreed the measure with the Government today to facilitate a smooth transition for his replacement and his continued leadership of the Anglo investigation.

Mr Appleby said this morning that his decision to retire would not impede the office's work in the Anglo Irish Bank investigation and said if his assistance was required, he would make himself available.

He said the decision to step down "followed a period of reflection and discussion of my position with my wife and family in recent weeks".

Mr Appleby will be paid a retirement lump sum of €225,000 and have an annual pension of €73,000 following his 39 years of service in the civil service.

He will receive the first €200,000 of his lump sum tax-free.

His current salary of €146,000 is in line with pay for an assistant secretary general for a Government department. It was reduced from €150,000 in January 2010.

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin has welcomed the fact that Mr Appleby will stay in his job for another six months.

Mr Howlin said the Government is keen that the very important inquiries being carried out by Mr Appleby's office carry on in a seamless fashion and come to a conclusion.

Speaking on RT?'s Six-One News, Mr Howlin said that after engaging with Mr Appleby today he is glad there will be no disruption to his work.

He said the first he heard of Mr Appleby wanting to retire was at Cabinet today from Richard Bruton, but he understood a letter was received in the Department of Jobs and Enterprise in the last day or two.

Mr Howlin said he had asked last year for anyone contemplating leaving to give as much notice as they could, so departments could plan to ensure there is no disruption to the general work of the public services.

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Paul Appleby delays retirement for six months

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Cargo ship smashes into Ky. bridge

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Gov. Beshear and Sen. Paul make statements on bridge collapse