The Taoiseach's again told Leo Varadkar to stick with Government policy - and to ignore the fears of civil servants.
Enda Kenny says the Minister for Health has a job to do - and shouldn't bow to civil servants and lobby groups who want to stop them.
It's the second time in two days that the health minister has been told to ignore the fears of civil servants, and to proceed with the implementation of government policies despite the reservations by professional civil servants.
The Taoiseach says policies are policies - and nobody should stop the minister from implementing them.
"Minister Varadkar is a newly-appointed minister to the Department of Health, and he's taking on an enormous challenge," the Taoiseach said this afternoon.
"Obviously the sectors within the health system presented him with a vast array of reasons why he should not be able to do his job.
"I expect Minister Varadkar to be able to do his job - I expect he WILL do his job, and do it very successfully," he said.
However there was one concession from the Taoiseach - on the issue of free GP care for under-6s, which was originally meant to be in place by July, but which may now miss its revised deadline of Christmas.
"I think as the Minister pointed out, he's obviously got to sit down, consult and negotiate with the different sectors in there, including the medical profession.
"When he's clear on when he can implement it, he will say."
