TAOISEACH Enda Kenny insisted he was outlining party policy at the time when he publicly committed Fine Gael in government to retaining the emergency unit in Roscommon hospital during the general election campaign.

He said part of the duty and responsibility of any leader was to enunciate party policy.

“The party policy in respect of Roscommon hospital was published in the local papers and publicly known before I arrived in Roscommon,’’ Mr Kenny added.

He said the first mention of the situation being unsafe in Roscommon hospital arose in the Mallow report, which was published after the election.

Had he not accepted the clinical evidence of the independent health regulator, and say that everything was fine in Roscommon hospital and other small hospitals, he would have “neither conscience nor cover’’.

Referring to the tape of his remarks made in Roscommon during the election campaign, he said: “It is not by some surreptitious means that a public address and an interview suddenly became known. I reiterated and enunciated our party position, given in good faith at that time in Roscommon, as I did about other issues around the country.’’

Mr Kenny was replying to Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, who said the Taoiseach had previously demanded that he be shown the quotes outlining his election promises relating to Roscommon hospital.

He claimed Mr Kenny had been “caught out’’ by the recording of his Roscommon speech.

The Taoiseach had said to the people of Roscommon that the accident and emergency services would be maintained, and he had attacked what he called “decisions made for Roscommon hospital by bureaucratic people in a room far away from here’’, said Mr Martin.

With a “solemn flourish’’ Mr Kenny had said he had defended the nurses and doctors, workers and people of Roscommon, and that he would do so again.

It had emerged, said Mr Martin, that the Health Information and Quality Authority had never set foot in Roscommon hospital. “Will the Taoiseach finally take this opportunity to come clean and admit that he and his party promised to keep the services open in full knowledge of the issues the hospital faced in a crass but effective effort to take two seats for the Fine Gael party in Roscommon?’’ he asked.

Mr Kenny said that, unlike Mr Martin, the Government would face tough questions and make tough decisions. “Deputy Martin was the collator of over 100 reports which cost millions of euro and which were never acted upon, be that as it may.’’

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said the Taoiseach’s handling of the Roscommon hospital crisis was an example of the old ways of politics at their very worst.

“By claiming today, and since he reversed that commitment, that the 2011 Hiqa report means that he has no option but to close accident and emergency services in Roscommon hospital he compounds the offence because he knew the Hiqa position before that,’’ Mr Adams said.

Mr Kenny said the fact that a stream of invective had come his way from the decent people of Roscommon was an indication of anxiety and concern.

“I understand that is the case in public life,’’ he added.

Joe Higgins (Socialist Party) asked if the Taoiseach realised what “a contemptible figure he cuts today coming into the Dáil and using the most pathetic excuses to cover up what is a cynical betrayal of the people of Roscommon’’.