TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has defended the performance of Mary Coughlan as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment as the Labour Party highlighted criticisms of her by former minister of state John McGuinness.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said that at a time when the Government should be concentrating on major economic, financial and health issues, weekend media reports showed the “Fianna Fáil Government is riven with division” and struck by “paralysis”.

However, Mr Cowen rejected criticisms of Ms Coughlan and the Government and said that while people were entitled to make criticisms “in certain respects”, he did “not accept for one moment criticism that would suggest the Tánaiste is anything less than competent and diligent in the discharge of her responsibilities. Quite the contrary.”

Mr Gilmore said that whatever “machinations” were going on behind the Taoiseach’s back were a matter for Mr Cowen. However, the public, as well as the Opposition, was concerned that the Taoiseach and his leadership team would spend the next number of months “looking over your shoulder, looking behind you, looking for little conspiracies and for people stabbing you in the back”.

He described as “extraordinary” statements by Mr McGuinness, formerly Ms Coughlan’s number two in the department. Quoting the Fianna Fáil deputy, Mr Gilmore said “he says he has no confidence in” Ms Coughlan and “he says she is not up to the job, that ‘she is not equipped to deal with the complex issues facing her department and neither is her department’.”

Mr McGuinness also said “she has heard nothing and acted on nothing that business leaders have been telling her”. The former minister of state also said there was “paralysis” in the Government. Mr Gilmore also referred to “the other members of Fianna Fáil who in thinly disguised anonymity in the Sunday newspapers have repeated virtually the same story”.

Mr Cowen rejected the criticisms and said he believed that Ms Coughlan “has been hard-working” and “even as we speak today she is working with Irish entrepreneurs and employers trying to get more business for this country”. Ms Coughlan is currently in the Persian Gulf.

He said “she is working well and those who work with her and have seen her representing the country in that capacity have had nothing but praise for her efforts”.

Mr Cowen rejected Mr Gilmore’s claim that his defence of Ms Coughlan was “muted or half-hearted”. He had “given full support to my Tánaiste” and he had “not been equivocal in any way” in rejecting Mr McGuinness’s criticisms”. He said he had“refrained from engaging in any further criticism because I do not believe it is of any help or use to anybody”.