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SINN FÉIN’s CATHERINE Kelly has resigned as an MLA, the latest party official to step down over the failure to return £10,000 payments from an emergency Covid-19 fund.
In a statement this afternoon, Sinn Féin’s leader Mary Lou McDonald said that she had accepted Kelly’s resignation.
She said that Kelly, an MLA for West Tyrone, “is a signatory to an account into which a small business grant of €10,000 was lodged in error”.
“The grant was unsolicited and has been repaid in full. The failure to return the grant immediately is unacceptable. Catherine fully accepts that she did not discharge her duties as a public representative in this regard,” McDonald said.
Earlier this week, Sinn Féin Senator and former MP Elisha McCallion, as well as two other officials, resigned due to the failure to return money from the scheme.
This scheme was put in place to help small businesses affected by Covid-19. It opened up for applications in March and closed at the end of May. The offices of MPs and MLAs were ineligible for the Covid-19 scheme.
McDonald said that she wanted to again “acknowledge and apologise for the clear failure to immediately reimburse public money”.
She also said that the party’s “examination of this matter is now complete”.
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Is that picture the face of Bad Santa or what..
WHAT ARE OUR politicians doing in the halls of Leinster House??
Depopulating the country of the undesirable people who don’t agree with them, so that come next election they will have a scared, obedient, docile, little electorate to vote them in again.
What ever Reilly!!!! You are a proven liar and who trusts a liar?
Only way we will get a decent health service is when Reilly&Co are told their private health insurance is invalid and that next time they or their families gets sick they are at the back of the queue…watch them sort it out, pronto.
All TDs and public servants should be made use public transport. Imagine the immediate efficiencies.
Ditto education.
And if you don’t like the conditions, emigrate like the rest of us. Take away their cushions.
Every time I see Chubacca’s hairy face I get this awful sinking feeling.
Given the track record to date and the utter complacency and contemptious way this sham of a government have and continue to treat the Irish prople I would not believe the Lords prayer from the mouths of any of them.
I have no confidence in them at all.
Now there’s a question, how many ministers/TD’s have private health insurance? Instead of putting their fate in the hands of public hospitals. Maybe the journal could investigate and report this? Although you will never get the answer.
if they didn’t waste so much money on being inefficient, they would be far better off! i mean, printing off letters to send to another person in the same department down the hall, waiting for 2-3 days for it to be delivered, then responded to then another letter and so on on
never heard of email no? what a complete waste of money, time and resources!
Minister Fintan Stack. :P
The lads in the pub don’t like him even when they are sober.
have your say