There are "bigger issues" facing the Dáil than a vote of confidence in Simon Coveney, Labour leader Alan Kelly has said.
While his party's seven TDs are expected to vote no confidence in the Minister for Foreign Affairs over the Katherine Zappone controversy, when the Dáil reopens on Wednesday, Mr Kelly said "I don't believe it is a priority."
“If you ask me is this a bigger priority to be discussing as the first thing when the Dáil comes back, or the issue of healthcare ... it’s the latter as far as I am concerned,” he said.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland ahead of the Labour party's annual think-in in Athy Co Carlow, Mr Kelly denied his party was uncomfortable with the Sinn Féin motion because its recently-elected TD Ivana Bacik attended the controversial gathering for Ms Zappone in the Merrion Hotel.
“Ivana has been very open about that, and has apologised for her attendance at that,” he said.
“It has got nothing to do with that, it is ultimately because we believe there are bigger issues facing the people than this one.”
Biggest issue
The implementation of Sláintecare, amid a number of high-profile resignations from the health reform programme, is “probably the biggest issue we should be dealing with,” Mr Kelly said.
There is a “massive issue coming down the road with non-Covid healthcare” and there are “deep concerns about cancer care for instance”, he added.
Mr Kelly said he believed there was an “ideological issue” at the centre of government blocking progress on implementing the plan.
“This is something we have no choice but to implement,” he said.
The Labour leader said the party would outline a “whole range of tax measures” it proposes before the budget to pay for public services.
“A utopia that is represented by some of those on the left doesn’t exist, we have to pay for things,” he said.
“We have to ensure a balance there in order to have public services we all want, a single tier health system, an education system that is free, and all the community infrastructure we require ...”
Mr Kelly said its tax reform plan would not be “just the super one-liner you hear from some people that we have to tax the rich.”
