Bertie Ahern also admitted that, despite major investment, the health service is not "working as well as it should be".

"It bothers me greatly, as I am sure it bothers you, that the Irish public service is portrayed as slow, unprepared, unprofessional, unresponsive and unconcerned, " Ahern told the predominantly public service unions at the ICTU biennial conference in Bundoran.

"You and I know so many examples that utterly refute that generalisation. But we do know that there is some truth in it also."

The comment was largely lost amid the controversy over Ahern's unscripted suicide comment in the same speech.

"It is no longer enough . . . if it ever was . . . to offer the public a service that simply suits the provider, " Ahern warned.

While Ahern told the Sunday Tribune before the election that he should be "congratulated on the health service, " he told the unions last week that he did not think "anyone who campaigned during the recent election could say that the health service is working as well as it should be."