The former Department of Foreign Affairs secretary general who took a selfie of colleagues having a champagne party said he was “happy” for them to gather despite a previous department cancellation of “all on-site and off-site events”.
Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty has said the latest revelation blows open the line peddled by Government Ministers that it was an impromptu event.
Niall Burgess’s private secretary sent an email the day before a vote on Ireland’s accession to the UN Security Council on June 17, 2020, saying department staff could congregate “down the back of the political open-plan [office]” to watch it.
Burgess posted the celebratory selfie on social media after Ireland was elected to the Security Council, before removing it some hours later.
Several weeks earlier, a document had been circulated to Department of Foreign Affairs staff urging them to hold group meetings via video call and to “adhere to strict social distancing guidelines”.
In an email to a colleague, Burgess’s secretary wrote: “Following our call earlier SG (secretary general) happy to watch the result down the back of the political open plan in the ‘thick of it’.”
The Thick of It was a reference to a BBC comedy about the inner workings of the British government.
The colleague responded: “We will proceed on this basis for the moment.”
However, she noted that staff may “move locations” to watch the UN Security Council election “given social distancing measures”.
Despite this, the same official was subsequently pictured holding a glass of champagne closely surrounded by her colleagues in Mr Burgess’s ‘selfie’.
Speaking in the Dail on Thursday, Deputy leader of Sinn Fein, Pearse Doherty asked Tanaiste Leo Varadkar if he now accepts an external investigation should happen.
He said: “The line peddled by yourself and other Government members that the event held in Iveagh House in June [2020] was an impromptu event.
“Department officials now we know were told to gather down the back of the office in an email from the Secretary General’s office the day before the event.
“Do you now accept Tanaiste that there needs to be a proper investigation into what happened and not the internal review given now what we know?
“And if so when will that happen and are you confident that no other gathering happened in Government departments or residence?”
In response, Mr Varadkar said it was appropriate for the current Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs to look into the matter.
Mr Varadkar said: “The report is being done by the Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
“It’s entirely appropriate that he should do that. He is the accounting officer and I think we should wait until we see that report and I will pass judgement when we have it.”
Records released under Freedom of Information laws show that DFA staff were issued with strict Covid-19 guidelines on a number of occasions in the weeks preceding the controversial gathering on June 17, 2020.
On March 13, Iveagh House staff were notified that “all on-site and off-site events” were to be cancelled, and they were asked to postpone all “team events” until further notice.
In another email forwarded directly to Mr Burgess, the department’s health and safety manager warned officials about the message that holding face-to-face meetings sends out to “the wider organisation” at a difficult time.
The DFA said that no records exist in relation to the purchase of champagne or other alcohol for consumption at the Iveagh House party. It also said that no correspondence or briefing notes about the event had been sent or received by Minister Simon Coveney.
An internal investigation into incident was launched on January 13, and is expected to conclude before the end of the month.
However, there has been criticism of the fact that the probe is being headed by Mr Burgess’s successor in the DFA.
Mr Burgess has since been appointed Ireland’s ambassador to France.
Speaking in the Dáil last week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “The people involved have said what they did was wrong, and it was wrong. It should not have happened and was clearly a breach of guidelines.”
