Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe has apologised after it emerged he failed to properly account election expenses in 2016.
Mr Donohoe said after reviewing records related to the provision of the service during his 2016 election campaign, he discovered that he should have declared an additional €1,057 in his election statement.
“I always hold myself to the very highest of professional standards and I profoundly regret that this matter wasn’t dealt with correctly in 2016,” he said. “In light of the information that’s now available to me, I’ve taken the steps to address the issue as comprehensively as I can…Integrity is fundamental to public life and how I believe it should be conducted. I deeply regret this situation and the role that I played in it.”
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The Minister also said he will recuse himself from policy decisions related to the progression of ethics legislation and with regard to SIPO. This arrangement will remain in place while SIPO investigates the issue, which emerged in a complaint to the body. The undeclared €1,057 relate to the services of putting up and taking down electoral posters during his 2016 General Election campaign. Mr Donohoe said he believed the service had been voluntary.
"This assistance was understood to be on a voluntary basis. It was provided across four nights during the campaign period, before and after polling day," he said. Six people were involved in the service and Mr Donohoe was not aware they had been paid for their help in that campaign. However upon review, he discovered that they had been paid.
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein spokesperson on Enterprise and Employment Louise O’Reilly TD said the Dublin Central TD's explanation was “simply not credible”. She said: “It is not credible that he did not know that a company was carrying out campaign work on his behalf and that this was not a declarable donation or that he was required to set this out as an election expense. It is also not credible that this is not a corporate donation.
“The only reason it appears he has now broken his silence on this issue is because SIPO wrote to him on Friday. It will not be lost on people that Paschal Donohoe, as Minister with responsibility for SIPO, rejected two reports by SIPO requesting additional powers. That he can plead ignorance of his statutory responsibilities as an election candidate, given his then role as line Minister, is equally baffling.”
Ms O’Reilly added there were possible implications relating not only to the Electoral Act, but also the Ethics Act. “It is incumbent on Paschal Donohoe to make a comprehensive statement on this matter setting out what he knew and when, because the explanation provided this evening simply does not stack up.”
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