Donnelly orders external review as Watt defends Holohan secondment

Chief medical officer’s abandoned move to Trinity College Dublin under scrutiny

Stephen Donnelly, the minister for health, was not made aware of the full details of the secondment, where the chief medical officer would retain his annual salary from the Department of Health of €187,000, while working at Trinity. Picture: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Stephen Donnelly, the minister for health, has ordered an external review into the proposed secondment of Dr Tony Holohan, the chief medical officer, to a professorship at Trinity College Dublin following days of political controversy.

Holohan’s now-abandoned move from the Department of Health to Trinity caused embarrassment to the coalition after questions emerged around the funding of the role, which was first announced on March 25. Neither Donnelly, nor Taoiseach Micheál Martin, were made aware ...