Tag Archives: Phil Hogan

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Former Irish Independent journalist Eimear Ni Bhraonain

You’ll recall a post from last week in relation to former Irish Independent journalist Eimear Ni Bhraonain detailing how she is taking a constructive dismissal case against her employers after the paper failed to publish a story about Environment Minister Phil Hogan for ten days, until it  learned the Irish Daily Mail was about to publish it.

The story was about how the Kilkenny/Carlow TD had written to some of his constituents in Kilkenny, to tell them a Traveller family – Patrick and Brigid Carthy and their seven children – would not be moved to a house near them.

Last week’s post also told how Phoenix magazine reported that Ms Ni Bhraonain was asked to investigate a dossier of alleged minor crimes pertaining to Mr Carty, after the Irish Independent received the dossier “from somewhere in the Kilkenny area”.

Further to this, Mark Tighe, in yesterday’s Sunday Times [not online behind paywall], reported how Ms Ni Bhraonain will claim there was political interference with her story.

In relation to the dossier, Mr Tighe reported:

Ní Bhraonáin claims she was then presented with what appeared to be an official print-out of the travellers’ criminal convictions and asked by editors to write a story about them.

Ní Bhraonáin will claim that when she asked Independent desk staff about the paper’s attitude, it was implied that the newspaper was ‘friendly’ towards Hogan.

Mr Tighe also reported that INM’s group editor Stephen Rae will deny there was political interference when Ms Ni Bhraonain’s case comes before a Rights Commissioner on June 10 and that INM will seek to have her claim thrown out on the grounds  she failed to file it within six months of when she left the company.

Previously: Turning The Story On Its Head

Big Phil’s Fat Gypsy Prejudice

Had Your Phil Yet?

Pic: Pat Moore

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Former Irish Independent journalist Eimear Ni Bhraonain, top, and the front page of the Irish Daily Mail on September 26, 2012

You may recall an Irish Daily Mail front page story about how Environment Minister Phil Hogan had written to some of his constituents in Kilkenny, telling them a Traveller family – Patrick and Brigid Carthy and their seven children – would not be moved to a house near them.

Phoenix magazine is this week reporting that former Irish Independent journalist Eimear Ni Bhraonain had the story for 10 days before the rival paper.

But her editors held off from printing it and only did so when the Irish Daily Mail was on the verge of publishing it.

The magazine adds:

“The Indo then received a dossier – from somewhere in the Kilkenny area – on the alleged crimes of Carthy (of a minor nature) and Ni Bhraonain was asked to pursue this angle with  vigour. She declined, having already determined from Gardai and social workers that the Carthys were not a problem family and because the newspaper, she believed, were trying to turn the real story on its head.“

Ms Ni Bhraonain is now taking a case of constructive dismissal at the Employment Appeals Tribunal against INM.

Previously: Big Phil’s Fat Gypsy Prejudice

Had Your Phil Yet?

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[A section of a letter from the Office of the Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan to Mick Murphy, a Green Party candidate for Cork South West]

You may recall a post from last  about how Mick Murphy, a Green Party candidate for Cork South West, lodged a complaint with the European Commission about the establishment of Irish Water. It has now been sent to the European Parliament.

Further to this, it’s emerged Mr Murphy has made previous complaints about Irish Water – this time to the Office of the Ombudsman.

On January 31, 2014, Mr Murphy made joint and separate complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman against the Environment Minister Phil Hogan, his department and against Irish Water.

He lodged his complaints under five headings:

1. The transfer of strategic infrastructure that was heavily funded by EU funding to a monopoly in breach of EU funding and competition law directives that prevent such funding being used for the ‘establishment of or support of a monopoly’.

2.  Loss to Mr Murphy under the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act.

3.  Loss to Mr Murphy under contract law.

4.  Loss to Mr Murphy over having to pay a premium for water to pay for the unnecessary/ excess staff that were transferred from local authorities.

5.  Social justice grounds in that there was no provision in the establishment of Irish Water by the Government for the elderly poor who would be unable to pay the water charges.

The Ombudsman wrote to Mr Murphy on February 18 telling him that, before the Office of the Ombudsman could deal with his complaint, it would be necessary for Mr Murphy to first send his complaints to Minister Hogan and Irish Water.

Mr Murphy subsequently made formal complaints to the minister and Irish Water.

Irish Water responded to Mr Murphy on March 14 but Mr Murphy was unhappy with the answers and he complained to the Ombudsman about Irish Water again on March 25.

The Ombudsman replied to Mr Murphy’s complaint on April 7, saying Irish Water had been placed outside the remit of the Ombudsman and therefore could not be investigated by the Office of the Ombudsman.

On March 25, Mr Murphy received a reply from Minister Hogan in relation to his complaint to the Ombudsman.

Mr Murphy says: “In this reply the only issue I raised which was dealt with satisfactorily was the ‘social justice’ issue in that the minister had accepted that: ‘Restriction of supply will only be implemented where all other efforts to secure payment have failed and it is clear that there are no affordability issues’.”

Mr Murphy adds: “Unfortunately this is the only public record of the Minister or his agents conceding such a fact, and public announcements since, and before, this letter seem to revert to the elderly, poor and infirm facing the prospect of a reduction of water pressure that would be barely enough to sustain life.”

On April 9, Mr Murphy wrote to the Ombudsman complaining about the actions of Minister Hogan and on April 17, the Ombudsman replied saying: ‘As Irish Water is not within the remit of the Ombudsman, the functions of the Minister of Environment are also considered to be outside the remit of the Ombudsman.’

Mr Murphy wrote again to the Ombudsman, pointing out that Section 5 (3) of the Ombudsman’s Act allows a Government minister to prevent an investigation of his or her office, or they can demand for an investigation to stop once they do so in writing, and set out in writing the full reasons for the request.

Mr Murphy has since asked the Office of the Ombudsman if Minister Hogan sought to block an investigation into his office.

Previously: Once More Unto The Breach

Thicker Than Uisce

(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)

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Cork City Hall

You may recall previous posts in relation to how planning inquiries in relation to seven local authorities – Dublin and Cork City Councils and Carlow, Galway, Cork, Meath and Donegal County Councils – had been organised to get under way by the former Environment Minister John Gormley but were terminated by Environment Minister Phil Hogan, following the 2011 general election.

An internal review by the Department of the Environment was published in June 2012 instead and it found there was no evidence of wrongdoing

This prompted Gerard Convie, who worked in Donegal County Council as a senior planner for 24 years before he resigned in 2007, to go to the High Court alleging that the review was inadequate, ‘deeply disturbing’ and failed to address his complaints in relation to Donegal County Council.

His action resulted in the High Court quashing the review’s section on Donegal County Council’s planning department; the Department of the Environment apologising to Mr Convie and him being awarded €25,000.

Mr Convie’s material in relation to Donegal was sent to the Attorney General Máire Whelan for direction and it’s understood she has now sent this on to the Environment Minister Phil Hogan, who is expected to release a review before the summer

Labour’s Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Jan O’Sullivan then announced that a review will take place into the other six authorities.

These reviews are being carried out by town planners and chartered surveyors company MacCabe Durney Barnes.

Further to this, in relation to Cork City Council, Mick Murphy – a local Green Party candidate – made a series of complaints in relation to planning matters in Cork City Council, with his original complaints going back to 2006.

Following Ms O’Sullivan’s announcement of a new review, Mr Murphy received a letter from MacCabe Durney Barnes, essentially asking him if his complaints still stand, if any have been resolved and he believes their draft statement of issues is accurate.

Mr Murphy said his complaints do still stand, they haven’t been resolved and said he does believe their draft statement of issues reflects his concerns.

From his reply:

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Previously: Spurious, You Say?

Why Did Phil Hogan Stop Six Separate Planning Inquiries?

Thanks Mick Murphy

Pic: Archiseek

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Fiach Kelly, in the Irish Times, reports this morning that Environment Minister Phil Hogan has sought and received permission to obtain money from the Government in order for Irish Water to pay 1,100 voluntary redundancies.

Mr Kelly reports:

While the new utility believes it will need about 1,700 staff, it has signed service level agreements with the 34 local authorities who run the Republic’s water and waste water infrastructure. These legal agreements, which run up to 2026, involve about 4,300 local authority staff, whose cost is to be paid by Irish Water.

However, Mr Hogan’s memorandum provides more detail on the redundancies planned to bring this number down. They will cost some €39 million, which will be provided over a period between 2015 and 2016.

Irish Water gets funding for 1,100 redundancies (Irish Times)

Previously: Thicker Than Uisce

Photocall Ireland

hogan2[Environment Minister Phil Hogan]

You may recall how, in June 2010, following a series of complaints, the then former Environment Minister John Gormley announced that there would be inquiries – and appointed inspectors to carry out those inquiries – into alleged planning irregularities.

The inquiries were to take place at seven local authorities – Dublin and Cork City Councils and Carlow, Galway, Cork, Meath and Donegal County Councils.

However, just months after the formation of the current Government, following in 2011 Environment Minister Phil Hogan terminated the inquiries.

Instead, an internal review by the Department of the Environment was published in June 2012.

This internal review – published by Labour’s Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Jan O’Sullivan – concluded that there was no evidence of wrongdoing.

It should be noted Carlow – which is Mr Hogan’s constituency – was named as the ‘the most serious of the cases’ in the review and that if it weren’t for 120 recommendations being implemented following a 2010 review by John Quinlivan, former Carlow Town Clerk and Louth County Manager, an investigation would be required into Carlow County Council, even though it stated not all of the recommendations had been delivered upon, at the time of the review’s investigation.

But what about Donegal?

Well.

Gerard Convie, who worked in Donegal County Council as a senior planner for 24 years before he resigned in 2007, provided the review with 20 cases of what he claimed was evidence of irregularities at Donegal County Council.

And, after the review concluded there was no proof of wrongdoing, he went to the High Court alleging that the review was inadequate, ‘deeply disturbing’ and failed to address his complaints.

His action resulted in the High Court quashing the review’s section on Donegal County Council’s planning department; the Department of the Environment apologising to Mr Convie and him being awarded €25,000.

This High Court decision occurred on June 14, 2013.

On foot of it, Ms O’Sullivan announced:

“I am today announcing my intention to appoint independent planning consultants under Section 255 of the Planning and Development Acts to conduct an independent assessment of planning procedures and practices in the six other local authorities that were the subject of the Planning Review Report.”

The current issue of Village magazine – which gives a thorough breakdown of Mr Convie’s complaints – is reporting that the material concerning Donegal and put forward by Mr Convie was sent to the Attorney General Máire Whelan for direction and it’s understood she has now sent this on to the Environment Minister Phil Hogan with the Environment Department expected to release its review before the summer.

Meanwhile, while in Opposition, Mr Hogan did an interview with Tony Lowes, for Village magazine, in which he was asked if he supported Mr Gormley’s planned inquiries into the seven authorities. From that interview:

Tony Lowes: “Do you support the investigations that Mr Gormley set up for certain councils, including Dublin City and Carlow?”

Phil Hogan: “Spuriously mostly.”

Lowes: “If you became Minister would you allow this process to go forward?”

Hogan: “Absolutely – I think it’s very important that we have confidence in the system of public administration at official level and political level – we learned enough in the Mahon Tribunal to know that this is important – but we’re not going to get into the political business of trying to find scapegoats for political purposes which is what ex-Minister Gormley is intending to do. I’m aware of issues that have come before Carlow County Council but on the material that has come out of the investigations to date I don’t see anything.”

Planning Review Report (June 2012)

Phil Hogan interview (Tony Lowes, Village)

Previously: Why Did Phil Hogan Stop Six Separate Planning Inquiries?

Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

00127421phyde(Top – Minister for Agriculture, Marine and Food Simon Coveney, Paul Hyde)

Reporting in yesterday’s Sunday Times, Colin Coyle detailed how agriculture minister Simon Coveney’s former sailing partner architect Paul Hyde has been appointed to An Bord Pleanála by Minister Phil Hogan after having been appointed to the board of the Marine Institute in 2012 by Coveney.

Mr Hyde is due to resign from the Marine Institute to take up the planning position at a salary of €111,214.

Coveney and Hyde were in school together in PBC Cork and have been members of the Royal Cork Yacht Club. They co-owned a yacht Dark Angel previously. Hyde’s father, Stephen has donated at least twice to Coveney’s election campaigns, giving €2,500 for the 2007 general election.

Pleanala role for Coveney shipmate (Colin Coyle, Sunday Times)

Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland, Marine.ie

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Last night Environment Minister Phil Hogan appeared on RTÉ One’s Prime Time to talk about the Irish Water controversy.

Everything is fine, he assured presenter David McCullagh…

Phil Hogan: “There is a perception being created that this particular money is just being spent on just accountancy and solicitors’ reports, that is not the case and I think that Mr Tierney at the committee today laid that out very well, in terms of the essential infrastructure that’s required to set up a public utility company for water from scratch.”

David McCullagh: “Yeah, sure but what, I mean, TDs, backbench government TDs, TDs, like Barry Cowen [in studio], Fianna Fáil, and others in Opposition TDs, ask a simple, straightforward question ‘how much is being spent on consultancy in Irish Water?’ No answer comes back from the Government.”

Phil Hogan: “Well, what I do, is I don’t micro manage what’s happening in Irish Water. And I don’t, we as Government set down the policy position and the overall amount of money that has to be spent, to set up this particular public utility company. And deputies have an opportunity to bring in Irish Water before the committee on a regular basis, or as often as they wish. And I don’t believe that I, as Minister, or certainly Irish Water, are in any way, other than expecting the highest transparency.”

Watch interview in full here

Previously: Water Carrier