Yearly Archives: 2017
Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan and Minister for Justice and Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald
As was confirmed in a statement by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs this afternoon, Minister Zappone became aware in mid-January of an issue affecting Sgt McCabe which related to her Department.
As the statement points out Minister Zappone has taken and is taking a number of steps to deal with this matter.
She informed me in January that she intended to meet with Sgt McCabe. She of course did not inform me about any details in relation to confidential Tusla records.
The Terms of Reference of the proposed Commission put before the Oireachtas by me refer specifically to a complaint of criminal misconduct against Sgt McCabe and whether this allegation was used against him.
I have always been scrupulous to avoid any comment in the Dáil on what was at issue in the criminal complaint against Sgt. McCabe, referred to in the terms of reference.
Had I put into the public domain anything which indicated or implied the nature of the complaint against Sgt McCabe I would be rightly open to criticism.
At the heart of the issues to be examined by the Commission is whether senior Gardaí were involved in a campaign to use information to damage Sgt McCabe.
I agreed to take on board amendments designed to put beyond doubt that the examination of any smear campaign would not be confined.
Just as my colleague Minister Zappone is dealing with the serious matters relating to her area of responsibility, I am proceeding to finalise the terms of reference of the Commission of Investigation arising from Mr Justice O’Neill’s report.
A statement released this evening by Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald.
Any excuse.
Meanwhile…
Confirmed: Enda Kenny was also aware of Katherine Zappone’s meeting with Maurice McCabe but, like Tanaiste, not told of the detail for why
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) February 10, 2017
Meanwhile…
John McGuinness, FF said that Tusla’s apology to Maurice McCabe was delivered to Mr McCabe’s next door neighbour in error pic.twitter.com/e66qe9Y73j
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) February 10, 2017
John McGuinness, FF said that Tusla’s apology to Maurice McCabe was delivered to Mr McCabe’s next door neighbour in error pic.twitter.com/e66qe9Y73j
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) February 10, 2017
Previously: Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Rollingnews
Independents 4 Change TD Clare Daly in the Dáil yesterday
Earlier today.
Independents 4 Change TD Clare Daly spoke with Michael Reade on Louth-based LMFM.
In the course of the interview, Ms Daly said the following:
“I suppose, it’s worth saying, there have been other dealings with Tusla in relation to other Garda whistleblowers as well, that we know of…”
Thud.
UPDATE: Second garda whistleblower says senior officer behind another Tusla referral (Katie Hannon, RTE)
Meanwhile…
Separately…
Readers may recall how the terms of reference of Justice Peter Charleton’s commission of investigation into allegations of a smear campaign against Sgt Maurice McCabe were published earlier this week.
And that one of the terms of reference calls for the investigation to find out if “Commissioner [Noirin] O’Sullivan, using briefing material prepared in Garda headquarters, planned and orchestrated broadcasts on RTE on the 9th of May, 2016, purporting to be a leaked account of the unpublished O’Higgins Commission Report, in which Sgt McCabe was branded a liar and irresponsible”.
This was in reference to an interview between RTE journalist Fran McNulty and RTE’s Crime Correspondent Paul Reynolds on Morning Ireland on the morning of Monday, May 9, 2016 – about the then as yet unpublished O’Higgins report.
The O’Higgins report wasn’t published until Tuesday, May 11, 2016.
Mr Reade also asked Ms Daly about what she said in the Dáil yesterday, concerning the inclusion of this report in the terms of reference.
Ms Daly told the Dáil yesterday:
I welcome some of the other terms of reference. I am delighted to see RTE included, because I actually made a complaint about that broadcast. RTE wrote back to me and gave out about the personal nature of my complaints and their hostile tone. It claimed they were without foundation and would be defamatory if I repeated them to a third party.
During the LMFM interview…
Michael Reade: “You told the Dáil yesterday that you made a complaint about the broadcast to RTE. RTE wrote back to you and gave out about the personal nature of your complaints and the hostile tone and I know that because I saw you saying that on RTE News last night. But that’s where the report stopped. And what I didn’t see on the news was what you went on to say, which was that, RTE claimed, that what you were saying was without foundation and would be defamatory if you repeated it to a third party. Was RTE threatening to sue you?”
Clare Daly: “No, I don’t think so. I think they were objecting strongly or the person from RTE who wrote it, like, was saying that, you know, if I was to repeat what I said in the complaint to a third party, it might be construed as defamatory which was just utterly ridiculous, as far as I was concerned. It was in the context of the news report and coverage and the complaint had been about the coverage by Paul Reynolds and, basically, the person who wrote back from RTE was making that remark to me, in the context of defending Paul Reynolds, telling me what a wonderful journalist he was and how he knew him well and…”
Reade: “But to say it’s defamatory,..”
Daly: “Yeah, I know.”
Reade: “…is that not suggesting you were making libellous statements which means they could choose to sue you?”
Daly: “Yeah, I mean, look it, I thought the choice of words was incredible and, as I was saying in the Dail, I was really glad that Justice O’Neill had included that coverage because a lot of people took exception to it, it was incredibly one-sided and it gave a very inaccurate account of what was actually in the O’Higgins’ report which is why we put in the complaint at the time…”
Listen back to the interview on LMFM in full here
Thanks Eamonn
Breaking
at
SPLUTTER!
Back to work-to-poo so.
Bus Éireann bans staff working premium shits after sick days (RTÉ)
Thanks STP
The office 26 inch colour telly in Karl’s den Broadsheet HQ last night
Thursday night’s panel, from top: Marcel, Johnny, Conor and Neil
Did you stay up?
A very warm thank you to Conor McKeogh, Neil Curran, Marcel Kreuger and Johnny Keenan, our panel last night on the first episode of Broadsheet on the Telly.
The show, produced by Mike McGrath Bryan, can be viewed here in its entirety.
Broadsheet on The Telly will air on the site at 11.45pm every Thursday.
If you have any suggestions, gripes or whatnot about any aspect of the show please share them below.
If you would like to take part in future broadcasts please contact Broadsheet on The Telly at broadsheet@broadsheet.ie
We will also aim to have the show available as a podcast from next week.
*flings remote*
Last Night : Broadsheet on the Telly Tonight!
Pic: Thanks Niall
It’s widely known how Christopher Nolan used Michael Mann’s Heat (1995) as inspiration for The Dark Knight (2008) in terms of the look and feel, themes and so on.
This side-by-side comparison of the two shows exactly where that influence ended up. There are also some shots from Mann’s other films Collateral (2004) and LA Takedown (1989) – of which Heat was a remake.
Full screen + HD for maximum enjoyment.
The cabinet at Aras an Uachtaráin on May 6, 2016, following the General Election last year with Katherine Zappone (fourth from right)
Further to reports that Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone did not inform her cabinet colleagues of the matters concerning Tusla and Sgt Maurice McCabe when it met on Tuesday, to discuss the terms of conditions of the forthcoming commission of investigation into Supt Dave Taylor and Sgt Maurice McCabe’s protected disclosures…
The following statement has been released by a spokesperson for the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone…
Minister Zappone has met with Mrs Lorraine McCabe and Sgt Maurice McCabe. She has heard first hand of the devastation caused to them by the false allegations against Sgt Maurice McCabe.
The Minister became aware of the circumstances when Mrs McCabe contacted the office of the Minister for Health on 18 January 2017.
As the matter related to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Private Secretary of DCYA was requested to call Mrs McCabe. The private secretary did this on 18 January.
Minister Zappone met Mrs and Sgt McCabe on Wednesday 25 January. Since then her office has been in regular contact with Mrs and Sgt McCabe and Tusla – which has led to the offer of a public apology.
The Secretary General of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs held a meeting with Senior Tusla Personnel on Friday 27th January. Tusla provided DCYA with a chronology and analysis of the case – which my Department gave to Mrs and Sgt McCabe on Saturday 28th January.
Tusla informed the Secretary General that they have instituted a case review to extrapolate all relevant information in order to provide a more detailed analysis.
Minister Zappone informed relevant Government colleagues during the course of this period. Minister Zappone was always of the view that Tusla would form part of the investigation by the Commission of Inquiry.
It’s also being reported that Ms Zappone is declining to name the “Governement colleagues” with whom she spoke.
Meanwhile…
Yesterday, in the Dáil, Sinn Féin TD Mary Lou McDonald asked Fine Gael Justice Minister and Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald if she was aware of any contact between the gardaí and any other State agency in respect of Sgt Maurice McCabe…
They had the following exchange…
In addition, in the Seanad yesterday afternoon, Ms Fitzgerald said the following, as part of her statement on the commission of investigation by Mr Justice Peter Charleton…
I thank Members of this House for agreeing to statements being taken on this important matter in the House today. As the House will be aware I have laid the relevant material before the House to give full effect to the recommendations of Mr Justice O’Neill.
However, before moving to seek approval for the relevant motion I believe it is sensible that we discuss these matters here first. I am already persuaded from discussion which I have had that there may be some improvements which can be made to put beyond doubt that certain matters will come within the remit of the commission. I intend to reflect on what is said here today and make any amendments to the proposed draft order in light of those discussions.
As Mr Justice O’Neill indicated, it is imperative that certain allegations be examined and I believe we should stick as closely as possible to the terms of reference he proposed. After all we appointed him and gave him terms of reference for the initial inquiry. He has considered all the issues and made a series of recommendations which I have laid before the House.
Transcripts via Oireachtas.ie
H/T: Gavan Reilly
Previously: ‘Government Forces Have Said’