Louth TD brands Donohoe’s donation claims as “fiction and fantasy”

Louth Labour TD Ged Nash has branded as “fiction and fantasy” claims by Minister Paschal  Donohoe that a donation of poster erection services were made to Dublin Central Fine Gael and not the Minister personally. 

Minister for public expenditure Paschal Donohoe told the Dail an “unauthorised” donation to Fine Gael of corporate vans used to put up election posters in 2020 breached donation limits.

He said the breach has been reported to the ethics watchdog Sipo, and that the amount over the limit – 234.20 euro, will be refunded.

The Minister also said he was unaware people were paid to put up posters before the 2016 and 2020 general elections when making his official declarations for both years.

Mr Donohoe said that the payment to workers was a “personal” one from Mr Stone, and that the use of corporate vans for postering was a “corporate” donation to the Fine Gael Dublin Central branch.

Speaking in the Dail yesterday evening Deputy Nash said that while he knew “standards and integrity matter to the Minister,” it gave him “no pleasure to say this - that the Minister broke the electoral rules on two occasions, that is, in 2016 and 2020.”

The Labour TD went on to say that 

“At the kernel of this is the fantasy that the donations made were made to Dublin Central Fine Gael and not personally to the Minister, the guy on the poster. He needs to address that fiction and fantasy; he needs to accept and acknowledge that these were donations made to him and that, insofar as we can establish, they did not comply with the law, as described.”

He asked the minister who the help offered by Mr Stone was offered through and if it was the ministers election agent because “in electoral law, it is only the election agent who can legally authorise expenditure.”

He continued:

“If the donation was in fact made to Fine Gael in Dublin Central, I would be very annoyed if I were the second candidate in 2020. It seems she has not benefited from the assistance provided by Mr. Stone. 

“How did the Minister's running mate benefit if indeed the donation was to Fine Gael in Dublin Central? If she did not benefit, this is really starting to look like what we believe it is: a personal donation made by a corporation that went undeclared. It is de facto a donation made to the Minister personally.”

In response the Minister acknowledged  “the mistakes that were made,” and that the help was offered through Fine Gael councillor for the north inner city, Mr. Ray McAdam. 

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In regard to Deputy Nash’s second question he said:

“All the funding and support received at election time go into the central party political account, which is the Fine Gael Dublin Central account. 

“If I had received anything personally, I would be revising my personal statements, but I did not. All the funding – any support received – went in there, but I go back to the key point.

“It is important to be clear regarding the nature of the donation. The nature of the donation is the value that is attributed to posters put up. At no point was money received that needed to be put into the account.”

Deputy Nash responded that:

“There is a donation of service and there is a commercial value to be placed on that.”

He further called on the Minister to publish fully all his returns to SIPO – his amended returns for 2016 and those for 2020, including all the supporting documentation – to ensure full disclosure.

The Minister said he would “make any available information available to SIPO, but the one point I will need to check is whether that will in any way impinge upon or influence the requirements SIPO has of me. 

“Assuming there is no difficulty in this regard, any information that is available to me that constitutes my input to SIPO- and my amended expenses I will make available.”