Minister confirms our revelations

HEALTH Minister Edwin Poots has told the Londonderry Sentinel why he reversed a decision by his predecessor and gave the green light for work to start on a satellite radiotherapy centre at Altnagelvin Hospital.

As the Sentinel predicted last week, Mr Poots made a positive decision which sparked jubilation throughout the North West.

His comments to the Assembly on Monday also backed Sentinel revelations that the Department of Health had regarded the Londonderry unit as a high priority.

And, after a question from the floor, he also said that, while he could not be privy to advice given to Mr McGimpsey, he could say that all of the senior civil servants he consulted last week wanted to go ahead with the

proposal.

Two weeks ago, the Sentinel sent shockwaves through the North West when we revealed the details of draft statements drawn up for Mr McGimpsey ahead of his controversial announcement.

The documents showed that, in the space of just over two hours, the radiotherapy unit went from being one of the top five priorities in Northern Ireland to being placed on the shelf.

Asked on Monday if Mr McGimpsey would have received similar advice from civil servants in support of the project , Mr Poots replied: “The Member is probably aware that I am not privy to the information that was provided to the previous Health Minister, but, without any pressure being applied, the case was made very clearly by my civil servants that the centre should proceed without equivocation, so I suspect that the same case was made to the previous Minister.”