Ireland’s Cancer Tsar has given his strongest indication yet that he’s not interested in taking over the job as Head of HSE.

The Minister for Health Mary Harney had signalled she would like to see Professor Tom Keane take over the running of the HSE, when Professor Brendan Drumm’s contract expires next August.

But speaking to Breakfast this morning, Professor Keane said that staying in Ireland is not on the cards for him.

“I do like it here – but our family are in Canada, my grandchildren are in Canada” he said.

“It would be a huge decision for us to come back on a permanent basis at this stage in my career”.

“It’s not that we don’t intend to spend some part of our life in Canada – you know retirement – but it was never in our plan that we would pick up sticks and move back to Ireland on a permanent basis” he added.