Dobson defends delay

London - The British Health Secretary, Mr Frank Dobson, yesterday moved to dismiss Tory allegations of political bias and a damaging…

London - The British Health Secretary, Mr Frank Dobson, yesterday moved to dismiss Tory allegations of political bias and a damaging delay in new senior appointments to NHS trust boards, insisting he had no interest in "replacing Tory deadheads with Labour deadheads".

The statement came after his Conservative shadow, Mr John Maples, called for an investigation into alleged breaches of codes of practice in the selection of candidates for the posts, over 1,000 of which fell vacant in the autumn.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter