“This was an insider appointment that stinks to high heaven,” declares @MichealMartinTD. #Dail LQs:
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) June 20, 2017
#Dail LQs: Martin says the instruction to Aras to appoint Whelan on Monday was designed “to pre-empt accountability from your own cabinet”
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) June 20, 2017
#Dail LQs: Martin wants to know when Leo was told of Whelan’s nomination; “would you do this all over again?”
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) June 20, 2017
#Dail LQs: Varadkar says he was aware of the possibility of Whelan being nominated to the role the “evening before” last week’s Cabinet
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) June 20, 2017
Right now.
In the Dáil.
In his first Leaders’ Questions.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar responds to questions about the appointment of former Attorney General Máire Whelan to the Court of Appeal.
Watch live here
Previously: Faster!
UPDATE:
During Leaders’ Questions.
Labour leader Brendan Howlin claimed a payment made to Fine Gael TD Regina Doherty was in breach of legislation.
Brendan Howlin said:
“Taoiseach, last week, you unveiled your new Cabinet. It included an unprecedented number of ministers of state with the right to attend at Cabinet. Within 24 hours, it emerged that one of these four ministers could not receive the corresponding allowance without a change in the law….
“Over the weekend, the situation got worse. It has now emerged that a payment of a a third such allowance to the Government chief whip [Regina Doherty] from last year was also unlawful.
“The whip was paid an allowance of €15,829 for her role as Government whip. No such position exists under law. It is clear from documents released under Freedom of Information that the allowance was paid to the Government whip on the understanding that the Government whip was actually being paid for her responsibilities as Fine Gael whip. This might seem like a technical and minor matter however,r under the law, no allowance can be paid to a party whip, if that person is a minister or a minister for state.
“This means that you cannot pay such an allowance to the new Government chief whip. It also means that an illegal overpayment has been made to Minster Doherty.
Related: Doherty faces repaying €16k to the State (Irish Independent)