From top: Yesterday’s Irish Mail on Sunday; Ryan Tubridy (left) interviewing Pat Spillane in June 2019; Michael Ring, Minister for Rural and Community Development; his request for details of Pat Spillane’s RTE pay.

Yesterday.

In the Irish Mail on Sunday,

Journalist Ken Foxe, of RightToKnowIE, revealed  Minister Michael Ring used Freedom of Information to try and find out how much GAA analyst Pat Spillane had been paid by RTÉ.

The request came four days after Mr Spillane had criticised Mr Ring and the Fine Gael government on The Late Late Show.

Mr Spillane said Mr Ring was ‘handing out grants’ rather than regenerating rural Ireland

He told host Ryan Tubridy::

“Grants are great, but grants are short term, sticking-plaster solutions and they are political … throwing meat to the lions.

These projects are not about people … Rural development has to be people-centred and people-driven. The minister is getting very bad advice. They have to bring jobs to rural Ireland.”

Ken Foxe writes:

When I first tried to find out the identity of the TD who made the request, RTÉ refused to release it saying they considered that it constituted the “private papers” of the Oireachtas member. This is the exemption famously used to hide politicians’ expenses:

Interestingly, RTÉ said they had contacted the person in question to establish if they sought the records “as part of their work as a TD or as part of their work in an FOI’able body” e.g. a government department.

The TD said it was “sought as part of their role as a TD”

This was despite the fact that Mr Spillane worked directly for Minister Ring’s department. Mr Spillane was also in direct contact with Mr Ring in his role as rural ambassador.

Through RightToKnowIE, we appealed RTÉ’s decision and after internal review their decision was overturned

Going back to request itself, I asked Mr Ring about assertion this was done in his capacity as a TD, rather than in his capacity as a minister.

The “private papers” exemption could not have applied if request was made as a minister. His spokesman said he would not be commenting.

Notable that he also sought for the information to be “relayed … as a matter of urgency”.

He did not get what he was looking for however, as the salary/expenses and so on are considered “personal information” and the request was refused.

RightToKnowIE

Michael Ring pic: Rollingnews

Sponsored Link

21 thoughts on “Classy Ring

  1. Lilly

    Couldn’t agree more with Pat Spillane about grants. Can think of at least one cowboy outfit that set up in Westport with Ring’s blessing and an IDA grant – with promise of jobs that were never delivered. Just there to suck up the grants and the subsidised office space.

  2. V

    Included this in the twitter string quoted above, but since I’ve eff all followers I might as well repeat meself;

    It would be more in Minister Ring’s line to ask questions about Mayo GAA finances
    And get his own house in order before poking his nose into an ex Kerry Player’s part-time gig

    or as the Septics would say; Stay in your lane

  3. Andrew

    Don’t remember Pat being as vocal when John ‘The Bull’ O’Donoghue was living it large and splashing the cash. Was that because he was from ‘The kingdom’ ? Kerry people annoy me.

    1. Otis Blue

      In the interests of balance.

      Spillane got suckered by Ring and his Department to be a champion for Rural Ireland. This at a time when erstwhile crony, Big Phil, had filleted local government. He was happy to climb on board and go with the hype. Loved the sound of his own voice. Thing was, he was crap at it. Achieved SFA. He then got binned and had a hissy fit.

      Him and Ring? Two cheeks…

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie