Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said that Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe has provided a thorough explanation of issues surrounding his declaration in respect of the 2016 General Election campaign.
He added that “SIPO should now be allowed carry out their investigation and the minister allowed due process while he engages with SIPO on this matter.”
Yesterday, Mr Donohoe said that he updated his election expenses statement to the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) after reviewing his records.
The Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will for now take responsibility issues related to SIPO.
Mr Donohoe has maintained that services provided by six people to his campaign did not meet the threshold required to be declared as a donation.
The services relate to putting up and taking down electoral posters, which he said he believed had been voluntary.
Earlier, Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin rowed in behind her Government colleague saying he had shown immense regret in relation to the declaration of expenses issue.
Speaking at a tourism event this morning, Minister Martin said that Mr Donohoe had also recused himself from matters relating to the Standards in Public Office while a complaint against him is examined.
She said he had spoken to the leaders of the three coalition parties and had made a detailed public statement on the matter.
However, Sinn Féin has called on Minister Donohoe to provide further clarity on the issue.
Sinn Féin TD and member of the Oireachtas Committee on Members’ Interests of Dáil Éireann Louise O’Reilly said she does not believe that Mr Donohoe has fully explained the details of undeclared election campaign costs.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, she said: “He needs to come out and provide an explanation as to the questions that still remain to be answered around the donations.
“We know that the minister was advised in 2017 about the use of a vehicle. He was at that stage the minister with direct responsibility for SIPO, he didn’t amend the record in 2017.
“He was contacted again by the media in November. In November he said to the media ‘absolutely nothing to see here’ and yet yesterday we see him at a very hastily convened press conference.”
Ms O’Reilly said she wants to know why Minister Donohoe did not amend the record in 2017 and why he said in November last year that “there was nothing see here”.
She also said Sinn Féin wants to know who the six workers are.
“We want to know about those workers. Who were they working for.
“We are talking about six people, putting up over 1,000 posters….and it’s clear that a donation was made and it wasn’t declared.
“So, I suppose we need to hear from the minster as to whether or not he is satisfied that that donation wasn’t made to his campaign, because to me it was the minister’s face on the posters, it was the minister’s campaign and it looks like the donation was made to his campaign and I think he needs to clarify that.”
Ms O’Reilly said the issues around Mr Donohoe’s undeclared election campaign costs is “coming very very quickly after the resignation of another Fine Gael minister, which comes very, very quickly after the resignation of a Fianna Fáil minister” which she said speaks to the fact that this Government has been in office for far too long.
“To me, it’s baffling to think that a donation would be made in the teeth of an election campaign, providing campaign work that somehow is not considered an election expense,” she said.
Asked if she is calling for the minister to step down, Ms O’Reilly said she is looking for Minister Donohoe to come out today and make a comprehensive statement and address the questions that he failed to address yesterday.
Meanwhile, Independent TD for Kildare South Cathal Berry said Mr Donohoe has given a “fairly comprehensive press statement” and has offered to make a statement to the Dáil.
Also speaking on Morning Ireland, he said that would be “appropriate and very, very helpful”.
“But from my own perspective, there’s a SIPO investigation going on at the moment, and I think we should give them the space and time to conduct their investigation.
“There’s no point in having an investigation if you’re going to prejudge the outcome.
“The main issue for me is that he’s made an offer to make a comprehensive statement to the Dáil that would be appropriate, and he can flesh out any further issues there,” he added.
Labour’s Spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform and Finance Ged Nash said Minister Donohoe addressed some issues yesterday, but it would be helpful if he addressed the Dáil and gave a more complete account of not just what happened over the last few weeks, “but the whole history of this going back to 2016”.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, he said: “There are some very significant outstanding questions that I think the minister does have to answer and I think he will accept that himself.”
Mr Nash said that as this issue moves on and if it is a case where the minister finds himself again amending the donation declaration that he made to SIPO in 2016, then more serious questions will have to be answered.
Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Neale Richmond said the situation is far from ideal and the last couple of days have been difficult for the Government, but Minister Donohoe has shown a willingness and a clarity to work closely with SIPO to get to the bottom of this.
Mr Richmond said that since November, more things had been brought to light and that is why the minister moved to address the issue.
Speaking on the same programme, he acknowledged that overall, the issue is extremely damaging and “we need to rectify it as a Government and as individual representatives”.
Source : rte
