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LAST UPDATE | 12 Oct 2018
COLLEAGUES OF FINE Gael minister Pat Breen have defended his meetings with the head of the only consortium left in the running for the National Broadband Plan tender.
Last night, the junior minister admitted he met David McCourt on a number of occasions, but said he had “no role in the National Broadband Plan, its rollout or its procurement”.
That followed the resignation of Communications Minister Denis Naughten over revelations that he had also met McCourt on a number of occasions.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Health Minister Simon Harris defended his colleague stating that Breen is not in a decision-making position.
He said it is the responsibility of individual ministers to decide “is it appropriate for me to meet this minister, is it appropriate for me to attend this event, is it appropriate for me to attend this dinner, and the reality is, Naughten had a decision-making role, Pat Breen didn’t”.
“Pat Breen asked a minister to meet a constituent, a neighbour, and Denis Naughten decided to do that,” he added.
“The Taoiseach had no other choice and showed decisive action,” added Harris, stating that Varadkar showed leadership on the issue that many taoisigh in the past might not have and who would have let “ethical issues slip and slide”.
Speaking on Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning, Breen’s colleague Regina Doherty suggested that he had no questions to answer.
“Pat Breen does not have any responsibility for the National Broadband Plan,” she said.
“He does not sit at Cabinet, so therefore collectively will not be responsible for making a decision who gets awarded a contract.”
Doherty also said that Breen’s role as a junior minister meant that he had to meet individuals such as McCourt.
“Pat Breen is a minister in the Department of Business,” she added.
“It’s his job to meet businesses and potential investors in Ireland, which is what he does on a weekly basis.
“By all accounts he’s become friends with this gentleman because they live up the road from each other.”
Speaking on Newstalk last night, Tánaiste Simon Coveney revealed that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar intended to speak with Breen last night in order to understand the nature of his meetings with McCourt.
Naughten appeared on Shannonside FM this morning where he disputed Varadkar’s account of when he was told about the former communications minister’s additional meetings with McCourt.
He said he told Varadkar about the meetings in a Wednesday night phone call and not during their meeting on Thursday morning.
“I mentioned those and said to the Taoiseach on Wednesday night. There is no reason for me not to be open and frank with the Taoiseach. I felt he needed to know that and I rang him Wednesday night and informed him of that,” he said.
“I don’t believe that anyone in the room was surprised on Thursday morning when I pointed that out to the Taoiseach again.”
Harris said he did not think the controversy around the National Broadband Plan would bring down this government, but added that there is now a “renewed urgency for engagement with the Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil” and for a deal to be struck with the confidence and supply agreement “as quickly as possible”.
Separately today, the Taoiseach indicated that he will nominate a new Minister for Communication shortly. He commented that new Ministers of State have to get Cabinet approval also, which indicates a junior minister is to be promoted.
The next Cabinet meeting is due to be held on Tuesday.
With additional reporting from Ceimin Burke.
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He defended Denis as well… track record is not the best TBH
@Dan: Right about Denis, but it’s probably important to spot that while Naughton may have been exceptionally naive, no one as yet has mentioned that David McCourt is nothing like O’Brien, and seems to be dragged through the same muddy ground by association with FG.
Remember, he seems have an impeccable character, stayed in the process, even though it was completely ballsed up by letting Eir do their standard stymie of the process making it nonviable.
If anything, we should be making a concerted effort to apologise to this businessman for the incompetence of our politicians.
@Gulliver Foyle: Sleep with the dogs, rise with the fleas.
You have 2 cows. The State takes both. Gives them to their developer buddies, who make one work as a horse, milk the other one and then throw the milk away. Later the government give you €5.
@Fay Moynihan: that makes absolutely no sense … oh, I get it, sorry, carry on!
The worst government we ever had. being propped up by toxic FF.
@Sean Conway: SF traveller
Well that’s that.. Regina said…
Are these lads just naive or so brass necked that they do not fear any repercussions or consequences for their actions. It’s infuriating.
@Hoomanbean: I think breen is probably the tapped one, naughton completely naive, and both of them the traditional “thick”.
‘Craziest building on the planet’ according to Mick Wallace. He’s not far wrong.
@The Bull McCabe: It’s used by the wealthy to hold parties. and get ministers retirement jobs for favours.
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck its a duck
@Robbie Redmond: if you walk like a man and talk like a man you can now be called a woman tho!!
@Dave Daniels: whatever does it for you Dave
@Dave Daniels: that’s so relevant and on topic.
Stop voting for FF FG LAB
@eastsmer: who else is there with a brain, remember the greens are almost gone
@eastsmer: but don’t also vote for SF terrorists nor left wing Trotskyists like coppinger who would tax your PO saving stamps.
Tony Groves
@Trickstersworld
You have 2 cows. The State transfers them to an oligarch via an offshore company.
The minister for cows resigns and the Govt then grant the oligarch a nationwide contract to supply milk.
The media that the oligarch owns reports that it was a sunny day.
@Fay Moynihan: Your milking this.
@Fay Moynihan: All records and memories of the existence of cows or milk are denied until an unrelated FOI request reveals documented correspondence. Those name in the correspondence claim they now do remember and don’t feel it was their place to interfere in the process at the time. Nationwide contract holder goes bankrupt. Government engages stimulus plan to immediately raise the salaries of all it’s executives to encourage better performance, while granting the company tax exempt status.
It’s probably time for the “polls” to tell us how much we love Leo and FG. And because we all love them so much there’s no need at all for an election.
FG rallying around a party member. Naughten isn’t a party member so it’s easy to cast him aside.
Is Pat Breen making friends or doing his job? which is it, it can’t be both.
Himself and Naughten were only following orders in fairness. Of course, there’s no way the media believe the corruption goes all the way to the top…why is there only 1 company left in this tendering process…?
He set up a dinner with a bidder,he knows it breaks the rules so he should resign.
Pat was doing pretty much the same job as naughten, and naughten had to go, so…..
Mugabe would nt get a look in with the corrupt lowlifes in this country
Its a great little country to do business in if you are as corrupt as the boys.
Bent as an s-hook, like the rest of his buddies.
Definition of an honest man one who is bought honest forever to the buyer
Meet a “constituent”???? Pull the other one.
He wasn’t in a decision making role in relation to the Broadband roll out!! He invited McCourt and Naughten to dinner to discuss? Racing pigeons? the weather? or the depth of BS that is spoken daily by FG politicians? absolutely nothing to do with the Broadband roll out – these people are really hard work.
Time for the goverment and pals FF to go ..we need to cop on and get rid
If it means getting the broadband sorted out once and for all does it matter. Plenty of “ordinary companies” meet with investors too so what’s the big problem.
@Antoinette Burke: keep living in your little bubble
@Antoinette Burke: u really need me to explain it to you? it matters because getting the “broadband sorted out” was supposed to be decided by competitive tender to get the best price for the State (which really means the taxpayer) so if the rendering process is ballsed up the State (which really means the taxpayer) ends up not getting the best deal.
He was an enabler all sounds like a inner circle within FG wants shift blame yet again and their out bemoaning an inept former minister and light on how they colluded with the attack on Maurice McCabe by being hesitant to back him
Dhdh
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