[Phil Hogan]

Last Tuesday, during Leader’s Questions, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams raised concerns about how Phil Hogan appointed a former technical director with RPS consulting engineers, Conall Boland, to the position of deputy chairman of An Bord Pleanála in May 2012, alleging that this position was never advertised.

Mr Boland was first appointed to An Bord Pleanála on January 1, 2007, and was then reappointed for a two-year term in 2011 until December 31, 2013. Since he was appointed deputy chairman in 2012, his position has been renewed until December 31, 2018.

In the Dáil on Tuesday, Mr Adams said:

“[Phil Hogan] appointed as deputy chairperson of An Bord Pleanála an individual who was the former technical director of RPS consulting engineers, a private company that framed a series of controversial projects which have come before An Bord Pleanála. The Minister also extended this person’s term of office. This individual voted to approve contentious projects on which RPS Group was a consultant, which had been rejected by An Bord Pleanála inspectors. These include an apartment development in Dún Laoghaire and a sewage treatment scheme in County Donegal. He also approved a controversial wind farm at Cullenagh, County Laois. These clearly raise questions of a conflict of interest. RPS Group consultants also advised EirGrid to install overhead pylons, and they were also among the consultants employed at a cost of €85 million by Uisce Éireann…”

The next day, Wednesday, Mr Adams returned to the matter during Leader’s Questions, and asked Mr Kenny:

“Does the Taoiseach agree that a situation whereby the deputy chairperson of An Bord Pleanála is overseeing planning applications drawn up by his former employees may represent a conflict of interest?”

Taoiseach Enda Kenny replied:

“I am not aware of a conflict of interest. I hope that answers the Deputy’s question – the answer is “No”. All of the positions on An Bord Pleanála were publicly advertised. The answer to that is “Yes”. That is clear.”

Mr Adams responded:

“This one was not.”

Yesterday, Sarah McInerney and Stephen O’Brien, in The Sunday Times, reported that the majority of Ireland’s MEPs are opposed to the nomination of Phil Hogan as European Commissioner and plan to campaign against him getting this position with Sinn Féin particularly focussing on the appointment of Conall Boland.

Readers may recall how last November the European Commission ordered Dublin
City Council to terminate its contract with RPS for client services and public relations at the Poolbeg incinerator after it described the contract as an “illegal situation”.

The contract cost around €30million even though it was originally estimated to be €8.3million.

Readers may also recall how RPS advised Dublin City Council on the Poolbeg incinerator project while John Tierney was Dublin City Manager. Mr Tierney is now the managing director of Irish Water and two former executives with RPS are now working for Irish Water.

Former managing director of RPS Jerry Grant is Irish Water’s head of asset management while former head of project communications at RPS, Elizabeth Arnett, is now head of communications and corporate services at Irish Water.

Readers may also be interested to note that Conall Boland also advised Dublin City Council on its plans for the Poolbeg incinerator and the procurement of the contractor for the project when he worked at RPS. According to an article in the Irish Times in 2006, Mr Boland was also involved in preparing the waste strategy for Dublin.

In November 2006, when it was announced that the then Fianna Fáil Environment Minister Dick Roche had appointed Mr Boland to An Bord Pleanála, the then Green Party chairman John Gormley raised concerns.

The Irish Times reported at the time:

His appointment to the planning board represents a “serious conflict of interest”, Green Party chairman John Gormley said last night. “The fact that the Minister would, at this stage, appoint somebody connected with the project to the board is deeply worrying. Even more worrying is the fact that Mr Boland seems to have been responsible for the most recent review of the Dublin regional waste management plan,” he said.

Mr Gormley said he did not question Mr Boland’s competence, but said the Minister had put Mr Boland in a “very uncomfortable position”.

An Bord Pleanála (Board members)

Leader’s Questions, via Kildarestreet.com, on Tuesday here and Wednesday here

Previously: Thicker Than Uisce

Photocall Ireland