Lowry does not have to declare property, says Oireachtas body

AN OIREACHTAS committee has indicated to Independent TD for Tipperary North Michael Lowry that he does not have to declare property he owns near Two-Mile Borris, Co Tipperary, in his entry in the Oireachtas register of members’ interests.

The clerk of the Committee on Members’ Interests wrote to Mr Lowry yesterday after it had discussed the matter during a meeting of the committee.

Mr Lowry contacted the committee on Wednesday after The Irish Times reported that a company he owned owned the land but that it was not declared on the members’ register.

Mr Lowry said yesterday he had received a letter from the Committee on Members’ Interests informing him that he did not have to declare his ownership of the land, which is held by way of Abbeygreen Consulting Ltd, in which Mr Lowry has a 95 per cent interest.

Mr Lowry said the committee had informed him that it had been advised that as he had declared the fact that he was a director of Abbeygreen, he was not required to register land and other assets that were owned by the company. The holdings of a company were not an interest that TDs had to register, Mr Lowry was told.

Mr Lowry would not discuss his reasons for buying the land or the details of the transaction, other than to say that everything about the deal was “above board”.

He referred questions as to when the land was purchased and when it was mortgaged to his solicitor, Joe Fitzpatrick of Smithwick Walter and Son, Kilkenny. However, Mr Fitzpatrick did not respond to a request for comment left at his office yesterday.

Land Registry files show that a company based at the solicitor’s practice, Horsebarrack Property Ltd, became the registered owner of 11 acres at Gortnahoo, near Two-Mile Borris, in 2006. In April 2009 a mortgage from Irish Nationwide Building Society was registered against the land.

It is not known when the mortgage was taken out. In May 2011 ownership of the land on the registry was switched to Abbeygreen Consulting.

Mr Lowry said the land was not connected with, and would not benefit, from the casino proposal for land near Two-Mile Borris that is being pursued by businessman Richard Quirke and which Mr Lowry has been supporting. The land at Gortnahoo is some kilometres from the site where Mr Quirke wants to build his development.

Mr Lowry said he had always declared the fact he was a director of Abbeygreen Consulting.