Paschal Donohoe should give an undertaking that he will step down if SIPO finds he breached ethics legislation, according to Dublin TD Paul Murphy.
He was speaking after it emerged the Public Expenditure Minister failed to declare services worth more than €1,100 provided to him during the 2016 General Election.
As a result he is now being investigated by the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) – a body he has responsibility for in his ministerial portfolio.
He has recused himself from any meetings or discussions on ethics or the ethics watchdog while the investigation continues.
On The Hard Shoulder this evening, People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said Minister Donohoe must come before the Dáil to answer questions on the matter.
“I think there are significant holes in his story,” he said. “So, we need a chance to tease that out.”
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy on the Dáil plinth, 19-02-2022. Image: Sam Boal/RollingNewsHe said the minister should promise to step down if SIPO finds he breached ethics rules.
“We should have at the very least a commitment that, if SIPO, the ethics watchdog, finds that there was a breach of the ethics legislation that Paschal Donohoe will step down,” he said.
“I just don’t see how you can continue to be a minister with responsibility for the ethics watchdog if there is a finding against you by SIPO.”
"Hypotheticals"
Also on the show, Fine Gael Minister of State Martin Haydon, refused to be drawn on what should happen should SIPO find against his colleague.
“We could have a whole conversation for hours on all different types of hypotheticals that might happen in the future, and I don’t intend to speculate on them,” he said.
“Let’s deal with the facts as we have them now and let’s deal with any results that come of the investigation by SIPO when it happens.”
What happened?
Under Standards in Public Office (SIPO) rules, all election candidates must declare donations made to their campaigns no later than 56 days after the vote.
Minister Donohoe has admitted that he should have declared work carried out on his behalf by six people who put up his election posters during the campaign.
He should also have declared the use of a commercial van to transport the workers and the posters around his constituency.
The Minister has said he was under the impression the work was done on a voluntary basis; however, he has since learned they six workers were paid a total of €917 for their three nights erecting posters.
Then Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe outside Government Buildings, 10-08-2021. Image: Leah Farrell/RollingNewsHe has estimated the cost of using the company van at around €140 – however, he also admitted that he became aware of this oversight in 2017 and failed to correct the record.
He made an updated declaration to SIPO on Sunday updating his election donations to the tune of €1,057.
As Minister responsible for SIPO he has now recused himself from any meetings or discussions on ethics or the ethics watchdog while an investigation is carried out.
He has said he does not plan to resign – but will consider the matter again once SIPO reaches a verdict.
"You're not talking thousands"
Minister Heydon admited Minister Donohoe should have amended his election expenses as soon as he found out there was an issue in 2017.
“That was an oversight on Paschal’s part and it is something he has acknowledged and he has apologized for that error,” he said.
“It is a value of €140. It was an oversight and he shouldn’t have done it – but you’re not talking thousands of Euro here either.”
He said SIPO now needs time and space to investigate.
Fine Gael TD Martin Heydon, 12-09-20149. Image: Niall Carson/PA Archive/PA ImagesDeputy Murphy said it is clear the minister breached the legislation.
“We have a minister who is responsible for the ethics watchdog who has, by his own admission, breached the ethics legislation,” he said.
“I think he has breached it by more than he has admitted so far, but even the fact that, in 2017, he became aware that he had use of a van and he hadn’t declared that, by not correcting his statement about election expenses, he is in breach of the legislation very, very clearly.”
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