Health Minister Simon Harris has been called a “serial apologiser” as he faces an Opposition Dáil motion of no confidence over his handling of the children's hospital construction costs.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said a motion will be moved against Mr Harris this week or next, as she also called on Fianna Fáil TDs to back her party's move.
Mr Harris will make a statement to the Dáil later today on what he knew and when about the hospital cost escalating from €987m to over €1.4bn.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he has full confidence in the minister.
But Ms McDonald launched a blistering attack on Mr Harris ahead of the Dáil resumption today.
The mishandling of the hospital bill showed the “lack of vigilance, competence and management" on his behalf, she said.
Furthermore, new records of meetings released from the National Paediatric Development Board (NPDB) today show that Mr Harris had a “hands off” approach to overseeing the hospital project, said Sinn Féin health spokesman Louise O'Reilly.
She said the new minutes showed a series of sub-committees running the project and Mr Harris reappointing officials in July 2018.
Ms McDonald has now called on Fianna Fáil TDs to back the no confidence motion and insisted it would not trigger a general election.
Such an election would be the call of the Taoiseach, she said.
Ms McDonald said M Harris was a “serial apologiser”, that he had kept hospital cost details to himself, from Cabinet and even from Fianna Fáil under the government support pact.
“Fianna Fáil need to do their job and come off the government benches,” she added.
