Wicklow councillor may face ethics investigation

The ethics registrar in Wicklow County Council has been called on to investigate the "declaration of interest" returns made by Independent councillor Tommy Cullen after it emerged that his return covering January 2005-January 2006 was not contained on the council's files.

Fine Gael councillor Vincent Blake also asked that Mr Cullen's returns for other years be examined.

Under the Local Government Act, 2001, councillors are obliged to make annual declarations, listing land and property in which they have an interest.

The council informed Mr Cullen in January this year that they did not have a return from him for the year ending January 2006. He responded by saying he had filed a return and provided one for the period, marked "duplicate". However, Mr Blake said the matter required investigation. He highlighted Mr Cullen's returns for other years.

"I wish the issue of the vague and apparently contradictory nature of Cllr Cullen's returns for all years be investigated," he said. "I am concerned that section 175 of the Local Government Act, 2001, may not have been adhered to."

Mr Cullen's returns for 2003 and 2004 had been queried by the council. The council wrote to Mr Cullen on two occasions requesting clarification; however, an official told The Irish Times they did not receive a response to either letter.

On the councillor's return covering 2002-2003, Mr Cullen declared three properties, including land at Hughestown, Baltinglass, Co Kildare.

This land was not included in his 2003-2004 return, but reappeared on his 2004-2005 return. And a piece of land in his ownership in the first quarter of 2006, at Lathaleere, Baltinglass, was not included in his return for 2006-2007.

Mr Cullen told The Irish Times he did not declare the Lathaleere land in his most recent return because he had spoken to council officials about disposing of it in March and they told him it was fine not to include it.

He said the land in Hughestown, which is just over the county boundary in Kildare, was not included in the 2003-2004 return because at the time he understood he only needed to declare land in his ownership in Wicklow. He also said he did respond to the council's queries when it wrote to him.

"I have fully complied with my returns down through the years," he said. "The complaint against me is vexatious and spurious."