People overreacting to Zappone story, says Taoiseach

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has criticised what he has described as the “melodrama” and “overdramatics” around the appointment of Katherine Zappone as special envoy.

There has been mounting pressure on the Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney to clear up inconsistencies in his account of events surrounding the appointment of Ms Zappone as a special envoy on a day in which senior Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen said he was sacked from ministerial office in similar circumstances.

“We have set out very substantive items we need to address as a society. We have produced a very comprehensive housing plan. That matters to people out there, outside of the bubble of Leinster House. It matters very much to them,” Mr Martin said on Thursday.

“Two days ago we produced a very comprehensive programme in relation to reopening our society having come through a pandemic, a 100 year event which shook to the very core our certainties about life and about society.”

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He said the Government was working on the “big issues that matter to people.”

“I think we need balance and perspective here. I think we do need to be accountable. It is accepted the appointment of Katherine Zappone was not handled in the correct way. It is accepted that was wrong and Minister Coveney has apologised to me for that and has said that. But let’s have some balance and perspective in terms of the big issues this country is facing. There is a bit of melodrama and overdramatics about it quite frankly.”

Mr Martin said that the sacking of former minister for agriculture Barry Cowen was not comparable to the current controversy surrounding Simon Coveney.

‘Very regrettable decision’

“Let’s be very clear, everyone knows here, because I stated it unequivocally at the time, why I had to take that very regrettable decision.

“I simply said you need to go into the House and you need to give the full transparent story in relation to it and he refused to do that. Now I asked him as Taoiseach to do that and as Minister he refused and I was left with no decision, sadly, but to take the decision that I took on that occasion and I don’t think the situations are comparable.

“Minister Coveney has already written to the chair of the foreign affairs committee saying he is going to before the committee, wants to go before it again to fully address any issues that still arise or any queries that members of that committee have. He is prepared to do that, and to give a very comprehensive presentation to that committee again and take any questions he has to answer.”

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Cowen said the Taoiseach needs to address the issue regarding the “content” of the texts.

The Laois-Offaly TD was sacked from the role of Minister for Agriculture by Mr Martin during the summer of 2020 after a controversy over a four-year-old drink-driving ban.

“I was told that this issue was dominating the public domain and getting in the way of government business. I would argue that this is getting in the way of difficult government business too,” Mr Cowen told RTÉ on Thursday.

Mr Martin said he was “surprised now, early this morning listening to the debate that somehow people had forgotten the core reason behind the decision I had to take on that occasion.”