FF may extend sanction on members

FIANNA FÁIL is considering extending sanctions against party members beyond the six recommended for expulsion by leader Micheál Martin last week in the aftermath of the planning tribunal report.

Yesterday, a further two of the six Mr Martin proposed should be expelled voluntarily resigned. Former TD GV Wright and former senator Don Lydon relinquished their membership at the party’s Mount Street headquarters.

With former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, former European commissioner Pádraig Flynn and sitting councillor John Hannon having resigned in recent days, only former councillor Finbarr Hanrahan remained a member by last night.

Mr Martin told the Dáil yesterday that while he had announced action to be taken against “a series of people against whom the most serious findings we made”, there was “a lot more” in the report for the party to consider. No names were mentioned by Mr Martin yesterday. However, among the well-known names in the report is former TD Charlie O’Connor, whose acceptance of £500 from landowner Christopher Jones at the time of the 1992 general election was deemed “entirely inappropriate”.

Former senator Anne Ormonde received at least £1,650 from lobbyist Frank Dunlop and developer Owen O’Callaghan between 1993 and 1998, when she was a councillor. The tribunal also described this as “entirely inappropriate”.

Fianna Fáil’s rules and procedures committee, chaired by senior counsel Ciarán O’Loughlin, has been tasked with analysing the cases of party members against whom less serious findings have been made. Their recommendations will be made public.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said Fine Gael’s five-member disciplinary committee will meet this week to consider findings relating to party personnel.

The tribunal found it was “inappropriate” for Fine Gael TD Olivia Mitchell to have received £500 from lobbyist Frank Dunlop in 1992. The tribunal also found that payments to Fine Gael councillor Teresa Ridge were “entirely improper”.

The disciplinary committee’s members are Joan Mulvihill, who is also chief executive officer of the Irish Internet Association; Leonora Carey, an occupational therapist and sister of Clare TD Joe Carey; Brendan Heneghan, a consultant with William Fry; Nuala O’Neill; and John Delamere.

Cabinet yesterday approved the establishment of a Legal Costs Unit within the State Claims Agency, which will deal initially with third-party legal costs arising from both the Mahon and Moriarty tribunals.

At present the Chief State Solicitor’s Office secures the services of private-sector legal cost accountants to examine such third-party claims.

It is now proposed instead to recruit legal cost accountants directly for the new unit when established. Four Government departments have been tasked with considering the tribunal’s recommendations and must revert to Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan with proposed actions and a timeframe of implementation by the end of April, so Mr Hogan can report back to Government in early May.

The departments are Justice, Public Expenditure and Reform, Environment and Transport.

Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea yesterday expressed regret about comments he had previously made about the planning tribunal, telling Newstalk: “When I was talking about the tribunal through various media interviews and in the Dáil, et cetera, when I advanced legitimate criticisms, maybe some of them were flippantly expressed, I regret that, but at the same time, this was done against the background of a whole lot of reassurances.”

The Mahon tribunal has taken out a newspaper advertisement correcting its mistaken reference to Conor Haughey in its final report, writes Carol Coulter.

Conor Haughey did not give evidence to the tribunal and had no involvement with it.

His brother, Ciarán Haughey, did give evidence, which was described as “false and misleading” in the tribunal report. The tribunal said it had “unreservedly apologised to Mr Conor Haughey for this error”.