Tag Archives: Catherine Murphy

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From top: European Centre for Press and Media Freedom conference;  Gemma O’Doherty; Catherine Murphy.

From 10am.

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) will host the second Newsocracy conference, entitled ‘Media Ownership Concentration in Ireland and Europe’ at At the Irish Writers’ Centre on Parnell Square, Dublin 1.

Catherine Murphy TD co-leader of the Social Democrats will speak alongside investigative journalist Gemma O’Doherty, Lynn Boylan MEP and others.

The event is open to the public and free but those interested in attending are asked to register here or send an email to conference@ecpmf.eu .

Ms Murphy said she will return to Leinster House following her address to initiate a Private Members Bill to “protect the diversity of ownership and address the issue of control of media in Ireland”.

Ms Murphy’s bill aims to ensure that the 20 per cent public interest test that applies to any media mergers “could be applied retrospectively to any individual or undertaking holding more than 20 per cent of the shares in a media business.

It will be debated during the Social Democrats’ private members’ time on Wednesday, February 8.

Ms Murphy said the Bill will also recognise:

“the huge shift to online and digital news sources and will update the current definition of audience reach to add those sources to the existing viewership and readership definitions, which are taken into account when considering media mergers and plurality of the media.”

FIGHT!

More details here

Previously: Pressing On

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Further to yesterday’s vote by the board of Independent News and Media to give shareholders a dividend while closing off the company’s pension scheme – and the protest by former and current employers over the same…

This afternoon.

During Order of Business in the Dáil.

Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea asked Taoiseach Enda Kenny if he found it acceptable that “a solvent, profitable company in this country, can change and close down a defined benefit pension scheme, on a whim – to the detriment of their pensioners and deferred pensioners”?

Readers will note that Mr O’Dea didn’t specifically name Independent News and Media (INM) and neither did Mr Kenny in his reply to Mr O’Dea….

Willie O’Dea: “There’s an implied recognition in the Programme for Government that the pension problem in this country needs to be dealt with. Now, can I ask you: do you find it acceptable that a solvent, profitable company in this country, can change and close down a defined benefit pension scheme, on a whim – to the detriment of their pensioners and deferred pensioners and there is no provision in Irish law to deal with it. Can you tell me when such a provision will be put in place?”

Enda Kenny: “There is no law, no legislation governing this, in respect of Ireland. As you know, there are two defined benefit pensions in respect of the case that you’re probably referring to. In Britain, they have a defined benefit which is based upon levies and only becomes of, only becomes, is only used when the company involved becomes insolvent. The measure, company, we refer to now, is not insolvent. This is a matter in respect of defined benefit contributions that has caused quite a difficultly, a number of difficulties, over the period. Obviously, the last actual certificates filled by defined benefit schemes with the Pensions Authority show that over 60 per cent meet the standard and the remaining schemes had recovery plans. And there is concern that the certificates due in the coming months will, however, show significant deterioration.”

“The operation of a pension scheme is, in the first instance, a matter for the trustees of the particular scheme. The minister met recently with the chairperson of the Pensions Authority. He’s asked the authority to report back to him with an assessment of the current overall position in relation to defined benefit schemes. So he will report to the House when that comes back.”

Meanwhile…

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Later.

Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy also raised the matter but did specifically mention INM.

Catherine Murphy: “…Taoiseach, do you now accept that there is a gap in the law that is leaving a group of people, we’re seeing with one company, INM, the Independent newspapers, we’re seeing them – whom have the benefit, mind you, of €130m-plus being written off by AIB and the Bank of Ireland – leaving people who’ve worked in that industry, they’ve deferred their pensions in a lot of cases, leaving them very exposed because of this  gap in the law.”

“There’s an urgency about this and other companies doing exactly the same thing. Taoiseach, do you not see that there is a need for urgent legislation in respect of this gap in the law?”

Kenny: “Well, the point is that, in the UK, there is a pension protection fund which is paid for by levies, but it only comes into use when the company is insolvent and the company you mentioned is not insolvent. Clearly, the…

Murphy: [Inaudible]

Ceann Comhairle: “The Taoiseach, without interruption.”

Kenny: “The minister has met with the chairman of the Pensions Authority. He’s asked him to report back on the issue of defined benefit pensions. The situation that will arise over the coming months and coming years, obviously, we’ll deliberate on that when he, when he has that report back…”

Earlier: ‘You Can’t Take It With You’

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Social Democrat co-founder Catherine Murphy (bong out of picture)

Yes.

The latest edition of Hot Press is on all good shelves now.

In it, is an interview with Social Democrats co-founder Catherine Murphy by Jason O’Toole.

What to expect?

Drugs:

On the topic of drugs, Murphy openly admits having inhaled marijuana a few times and says she’s in favour of looking at evidence that supports decriminalisation. She also favours for the introduction of injection centres and making marijuana available for medicinal purposes….

Abortion:

Describing herself as pro-choice, Murphy has words about the Eighth Amendment, saying that kicking the issue to the Citizens Assembly is a form of political cowardice. “You know, we do have a Citizen’s Assembly,” she says. “It’s called the Dáil. Ideally, I’d like to have seen that approach. The Citizen’s Assembly should be removed from the constitution.”

Voluntary celibacy:

One issue Catherine is passionate about is the housing crisis and homelessness. Asked, hypothetically speaking, if she could solve this crisis tomorrow – on the one condition that she’d have to give up sex – she readily agrees to such a deal.

Homelessness:

“I’d almost give up anything to sort the housing crisis because I see people here every day of the week. If there was something you could actually personally sacrifice to resolve that problem, there would be very little that you wouldn’t do, to sort that housing and homeless crisis. It’s the tragedy of our time.

“But I would do way beyond that. There’s lots I’d give up to sort that crisis out.”

FIGHT!

Social Democrats leader Catherine Murphy reveals all in this week’s Hot Press (Hot Press)

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From top: Mark Hollingsworth; Denis O’Brien.

You may have read reports this morning about a journalist called Mark Hollingsworth and his efforts last year to interview a number of politicians, political advisers and journalists in Dublin.

It’s been reported that Mr Hollingsworth claimed he was writing an article about Denis O’Brien for The Sunday Times.

Readers may recall how Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy mentioned Mr Hollingsworth in a Dáil speech earlier this week, during a debate about the Cregan investigation into certain transactions involving IBRC – including the sale of Siteserv to Mr O’Brien.

Ms Murphy said:

I have since discovered a whole other world that I did not know existed. A journalist contacted me [in September 2015] on the false premise that he was writing an article and I took him at face value. He made an appointment to come to the Oireachtas for a meeting, but the sole purpose of it was to try to find out the sources of my information.

He is Mr Mark Hollingsworth.

He did not get the sources but it appeared to be more of an inquisition than an interview. That kind of world, which I did not know existed, is there bubbling under the surface. We must be conscious of that.

This morning, Mark Tighe, in The Times Ireland edition, reported:

[Mr Hollingsworth] told interviewees that he was planning to have his article published in The Sunday Times magazine. The newspaper has said that it did not commission him to research or write any such article.

In September last year, after making contact with Karl Brophy, the chief executive of Red Flag, Mr Hollingsworth was provided with access to a file in Red Flag’s online Dropbox account containing dozens of published stories about Mr O’Brien and privately authored documents concerning the billionaire.

The Times has learnt that after obtaining the Red Flag dossier, Mr Hollingsworth gave a copy to a private investigator working for Alaco… There is no suggestion that Alaco was involved in any wrongdoing. Alaco was formed in 2002 and is one of London’s most high-profile corporate investigation companies.

Mr Hollingsworth, who has written several books, is among a number of British journalists who sometimes collaborate with private investigators on stories.

He is understood to maintain that he was not working for Alaco last September but was willing to share his research with the company.

Further to this.

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Letters from British intelligence companies, Alaco, Diligence International and K2 Limited to Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy (above left) and Social Democrats Political Director Anne-Marie McNally (above right)

The Social Democrats have released three letters (above) which Catherine Murphy and Anne Marie McNally were sent by three different British intelligence agencies – on foot of queries from the two women – in November and December 2015.

The party has also released the following statement:

Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy has said she and her adviser Anne-Marie McNally both submitted Data Protection requests to a number of British Intelligence Agencies following interactions they had with Mark Hollingsworth in September of last year.

News articles today have identified Mr Hollingsworth as having passed files relating to Denis O’Brien to Alaco Limited, a British Intelligence firm.

Alaco was one of the firms contacted by Catherine Murphy and Anne-Marie Marie McNally but both received letters to say no details were held on file.

One of the agencies contacted, K2 Limited, advised Murphy and McNally that they would pass the enquiry onto the GCHQ and the NSA ‘so they can monitor your electronic and other communication’.

Mr Hollingsworth had presented himself as a journalist writing a feature on Denis O’Brien and Siteserv and had made numerous contacts with Ms McNally throughout August culminating in a meeting with Deputy Murphy and Ms McNally in Leinster House in September.

Both women felt his line of questioning was spurious and ended the interview promptly.

Meanwhile…

Speaking following today’s news reports Catherine Murphy said:

“Upon realising that Mr Hollingsworth’s intentions seemed different to his stated intentions we began to wonder what kind of information he, and whoever had employed him, were keeping on us.

We issued the data protection requests to a small few agencies in London that we had reason to believe might have an interest in details pertaining to Mr O’Brien – Alaco was one.

We had reason to be concerned that information was being compiled on us following the Hollingsworth incident and an unusual encounter Anne-Marie had with a taxi driver in the city during the Siteserv saga.

“I am concerned at today’s reports that Mr Hollingsworth passed a file to Alaco given that they have responded to both myself and Anne-Marie to say they hold nothing on file for either of us. I would like to think that Data Protection Acts give us a level of comfort but if there are loopholes being used I believe that merits attention.”

Journalist passed O’Brien file to London firm (Mark Tighe, The Times Ireland edition)

Previously: [REDACTED]’S 1.25% Interest Rate

Connecting The DOBs

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From top: Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy and acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny in the Dáil yesterday

You may recall the publication of the Second Interim Report of the Commission of Investigation (Irish Bank Resolution Corporation) at 9pm last Friday evening before the May Bank Holiday weekend began.

This was two weeks after Justice Brian Cregan completed the 29-page report which has been beset by issues of confidentiality.

The report noted that the Commission has so far cost €3,663,998 – including €631,000 for its own salaries, legal costs, rent, building overheads, services and administration costs;  €2,786,998 for  the special liquidator of IBRC (KPMG); and €246,000 for the Department of Finance for its ‘external legal costs’.

Further to this…

Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy raised the matter in the Dáil

Catherine Murphy:“… I raised an issue last week at the Whips’ meeting about the Cregan inquiry which reported to the Taoiseach on 15 April. It was published last Friday night and I understand there is an extension of time again. The Taoiseach needs to give some clarity on where this inquiry is going because it requires legislation on both privilege and confidentiality if it is to proceed. The judge could not have been clearer on what is required.

“The Taoiseach needs to outline what direction this inquiry is taking. Will it be something that is just constantly stretched out? Every week it continues it involves costs to do its work. It is absolutely essential that clarity is given on whether legislation will be produced in those two areas and if there a prospect of a conclusion to it.”

“A debate on the report is also needed in the House. It is the second interim report, which pretty much reinforces the point which was made last November, that legislation is needed if the inquiry is to proceed to a conclusion for public consumption.”

Enda Kenny: “… In regard to Deputy Catherine Murphy’s question on the Cregan interim report, the report was cleared at Cabinet last week. Believe me, there was nothing sinister in the fact that it was published on the Friday of what happened to be a bank holiday weekend.”

“I know that is always the story – that one is trying to ensure it is not seen. Let me put it this way. I can tell Deputy Murphy that I have looked at this and have given it a two-month extension. Mr. Justice Cregan has pointed out a number of challenges. Some of them are legal and some of them are constitutional, but there are a number of options to be considered.”

“I would be happy to accommodate Deputy Murphy with a meeting either today or tomorrow to let her have the up-to-date, accurate range of those opinions, which include the possibility of a full-blown public inquiry.”

“When we consider that the Moriarty tribunal ran for 13 years at a very costly sum to the taxpayer, these are options that need to be considered. I will facilitate Deputy Murphy and anyone else and bring them up to date on where it now stands arising from Mr. Justice Cregan’s interim report.”

Transcript via Oireachtas.ie

The second interim report can be read here

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At it’s most fundamental, it’s not a migrant crisis, its’ not a refugee crisis – this is first and foremost a human crisis.

The terms ‘migrant’ and ‘refugee’ become weighted with connotations and they have too often have become terms that we use to almost distance ourselves from the humanity of the situation and that is desperation of men, women and children taking a risk-laden journey to try to escape the horrors of terror for survival.

I mean, at it’s very most fundamental, it’s about survival. And in our own DNA we understand that because we have a history, be it in the mid-19th century, but we are actually the survivors of that and it’s in our DNA and it’s part of the reason why I think we understand it more than most.

Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy speaking this afternoon.

Previously: ‘A Beautiful Thing To Do’

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Screen Shot 2016-04-18 at 10.06.26From top: Yesterday’s Sunday Independent and Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy

Yesterday the Sunday Independent reported that there have been discussions between Labour, the Greens, and the Social Democrats about “forming an alliance of the Left which would enter a rainbow coalition arrangement with Fine Gael”.

Further to this, Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy spoke to Gavin Jennings on RTÉ One’s Morning Ireland this morning.

Grab a tay…

Gavin Jennings: “The Sunday Independent was reporting yesterday that secret talks have been held within the confines of Leinster House and elsewhere in Dublin between Labour, the Green Party and the Social Democrats – is that true?”

Catherine Murphy: “No it’s not. We’ve had no formal or informal talks with the Labour Party about joining any coalition.”

Jennings: “And Roisin Shortall or Stephen Donnelly haven’t been involved in any such talks either, no?”

Murphy: “No.”

Jennings: “The paper was also reporting that Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has been in constant contact with Fine Gael’s chief negotiator’s Simon Coveney. He strongly believes that the next government – this is Eamon Ryan – needs to be more balanced in terms of political ideologies and has been urging Labour and the Social Democrats to join him in providing this balance. Has he been urging you?”

Murphy: “He has, yes. We wouldn’t share his view that, we campaigned saying we wouldn’t support more of the same and we pretty much reaffirmed that commitment but we believe we’re in an entirely different situation and, indeed, the Dáil Reform Committee has been busy rewriting the Dáil rules to reflect the new reality and we would be, for example, quite, we would encourage and would be involved for example in setting out a framework for the Dáil with all the other strands of the Dáil in setting out a programme for the Dáil as opposed to a programme for Government because there has been a shift in power and that’s the message that the voters gave, there’s been a shift in power from Government to the Dáil and the rules have been rewritten, or are being rewritten, to reflect that so I think we’re in a very different scenario where, for example, if there was a broad strategic approach taken on major issues like health, like housing, we feel that there is a programme there that, there’s lots of possibilities of support for.”

Jennings: “But in terms of making up the numbers to make up this Government, are you ruling the Social Democrats out?”

Murphy: “We did some weeks ago…”

Jennings: “And that’s still the case?”

Murphy: “It is still the case.”

Later

Jennings: “When you mention an election, there is a possibility that we may have another election quite soon. Why do you think that voters would be more favourable to you for sitting aside and allowing a Government to be formed rather than getting in there and trying to do something about it?”

Murphy: “You see I actually don’t believe that’s the case. I think that the shift in power in the Dáil, the rewriting of rules actually opens up a really exciting prospect of sharing that power in a way that we haven’t seen before. And, as I said, it’s a question of drawing up a programme for the Dáil so as that the 158 TDs in the Dáil can participate, that it’s not confined to 15 members of Cabinet and everyone else is, you know, kind of has influence but there the only ones with power. It’s an entirely different prospect and it’s one that we would be very constructive and enthusiastic about participating in. So, essentially, this is a changed environment and, as I say, the Dáil rules have been changed to reflect that or are being changed to reflect that.”

Listen back in full here

Sasko Lazarov/Rollingnews

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Fiona Gartland tweetz:

Kildare North: Catherine Murphy elected on the first count.

Meanwhile, earlier…

And in Wicklow…

Wicklow: Stephen Donnelly on verge of election on first count (Irish Times)

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A letter sent from former IBRC chairman Alan Dukes to Finance Minister Michael Noonan on February 14, 2013 

You may recall how Mr Justice Brian Cregan was appointed to carry out a Commission of Investigation into IBRC on June 16, 2015.

One of the terms of reference is “whether the Minister for Finance or his Department was kept informed where appropriate in respect of the transactions concerned, and whether he, or officials on his behalf, took appropriate steps in respect of the information provided to them.”

The commission’s establishment followed Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy asking Finance Minister Michael Noonan questions about the sale of Siteserv to a company owned by Denis O’Brien.

Further to this.

The former chairman of IBRC Alan Dukes sent a letter to Finance Minister Michael Noonan on February 14, 2013 – a week after IBRC went into liquidation.

This letter was obtained from the Department of Finance by Ms Murphy, following a Freedom of Information request.

Readers will note there were three sentences redacted in the letter of February 14, 2013.

Following an appeal to the Information Commissioner, the commissioner annulled the decision of the department to redact these sentences.

It found the manner in which the Department had processed the request “most unsatisfactory” and not in keeping with the statutory provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

Further to this, Justine McCarthy, in yesterday’s Sunday Times, reported:

The Sunday Times has established that the three missing sentences from Dukes’s letter are:

“1. The Department of Finance has at all times been provided with all papers presented to the board;

2. The Department of Finance has been entitled to have an observer at every meeting of the board;

3. The minutes of all committee meetings were systematically provided to the Department of Finance.”

…The ruling by Stephen Rafferty, an investigator in the information commissioner’s office, was made on February 8 but only made public last Thursday. The department has until March 1 to lodge an appeal to the High Court.

…When told what the redacted portion of Dukes’s letter says, Murphy replied: “It’s strange the department would have redacted that. It obviously gives a clue about something. There seems to be a surprisingly small amount of information [available] about the relationship between the department and the bank, given how bad we know that relationship was.

“The information commissioner was quite scathing about the department and the fact they are taking their time about whether they’ll release it or lodge an appeal indicates there is not a culture of openness there.”

Anyone?

Revealed: Hidden claims over IBRC liquidation (Justine McCarthy, Sunday Times)

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“Tánaiste, over the lifetime of this Government, there have been a number of serious concerns, regarding probity and accountability and today I want to discuss another one that I believe merits scrutiny and that is the awarding of the call centre work for Irish Water to the Cork-based company Abtran. I know you’ll recall that Abtran was the company that got the contract for the SUSI grant system and it came under serious criticism, and rightly so, for its failing and it cost an additional almost €6million. And despite that, it went on to get, it was awarded the property tax contract. And then Revenue had to step in because it failed to cope initially.”

“Yet, after both of those high-profile failings, it was awarded the call centre work for Irish Water. We also know that Abtran has at least 10 other Government and public contracts. Now one of the criteria for the tendering process for the Irish Water contract was that the company had to have a turnover of €20million for the preceding three years. And given that it had a number of lucrative State contracts, prior to the Irish Water contract, the State certainly improved Abtran’s ability to meet the criteria laid down in the process. What’s interesting here is the way it was awarded, the way the contract was awarded and the obvious questions it raises about probity and the awarding of the contract.”

“Now Tánaiste, through Freedom of Information, I’ve established that on the 15th of February, 2012, the then minister [for the Environment] Phil Hogan’s private secretary received a fairly informal email seeking a meeting with Phil in order to lobby on behalf of Abtran. On the same day, at 5pm, an email was sent saying that the minister had agreed to meet the company. On the 27th of February, on the same year, we know that, through the work from Gavin Sheridan’s minister’s diary, that they met, that the minister met both the person who sent the original lobbying email, Mr O’Byrne – the co-owner of Abtran. In March, 2013, that company was then awarded the metering [sic] contract.”

“The Irish Water call centre contract, Tanaiste, as you know, is a very lucrative contract. It’s worth in the region of €50million over four years. And we know through the Freedom of Information that one of the key criteria was that the awarding of the contract, the firm that the contract was awarded to, had to have a proven track record. Now I presume that means a good track record – so the questions I want to ask you are: Are you satisfied that despite a very public failings of Abtran in relation to the SUSI scheme and the property tax scheme that they were still awarded an extremely lucrative contract by the State? Given the criteria? Are you aware that in 2015, late 2015, a State investment vehicle, also invested an undisclosed sum of money into Abtran? Do you know what that money is for? Do you know how much that was? And are you concerned about what appears to be the favouring of Abtran for Government funds?”

Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy for Kildare North speaking in the Dáil during Leaders’ Questions in the last few minutes.

More to follow.

Previously: Contains Impurities