Disappointed campaigner may face €500,000 bill

Disability rights campaigner, Ms Kathy Sinnott, expressed disappointment at yesterday's verdict but said she was waiting for the judge's full ruling before fully responding.

"I'm disappointed by it, but I'm waiting to know what the ruling means.

"All we know is that the judge said the ruling would have implications for elections," she said.

The mother-of-seven from Ballinhassig, Co Cork, who lost out on a Dáil seat by just six votes, could face a legal bill of up to €500,000.

However, the issue of costs has yet to be decided.

Ms Sinnott's election agent, Mr Pádraig Ó Féinneadha, who was in court yesterday, said there was no way she could afford such a legal bill.

"She's a person with very little money, and in the judiciary that means bankruptcy. And bankrupt candidates can't go for election," he said.

Ms Sinnott was challenging last year's cliff-hanger general election result in Cork South Central on a number of grounds, including a claim that the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, did not declare the full extent of his election spending.

The election was the first to be governed by the Electoral Act, which imposed spending limits of €38,092 on candidates in the five-seater constituency.

While Mr Martin was not in court, a senior Fianna Fáil official, Mr Hugh Dolan, said he was "very pleased" with the outcome.

He contacted the Minister by telephone after the ruling.

The verdict was awaited by many interest groups, including Labour councillor, Mr Nicky Kelly, who decided afterwards to withdraw a similar High Court petition which he had initiated after missing out on a seat in Wicklow by 19 votes.

The Opposition was also watching the case

closely as a ruling in favour of Ms Sinnott could have prompted a by-election in Cork South-Central.

Ms Sinnott was not in court yesterday and was meeting with officials from the Department

of Education to discuss the provision of special education once the Education for

Persons with Disabilities Bill is enacted.

She said she was very worried at new developments which, she said, would set limits on the amount of therapy or services children could receive.

Ms Sinnott said officials had also told her that the home tuition grant would be replaced, as well as the traditional application system for services.