Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe has defended his private and previously undisclosed dinner meeting at an upmarket Dublin restaurant with Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary.
The Irish Times revealed on Thursday that the February 2022 dinner took place, with Mr Donohoe’s spokeswoman saying it was a private dinner and that no business matters were discussed, and neither were matters of policy or regulation.
It was not included in his ministerial diary – which his spokeswoman said was “used predominantly to log official events”.
No lobbying return was made by Ryanair regarding the dinner. The airline said: “Since this was a social setting (in a public place) no lobbying took place and no lobbying return was required or necessary.”
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[ Paschal Donohoe had private undisclosed dinner with Ryanair’s Michael O’LearyOpens in new window ]
Mr Donohoe was minister for finance and president of the Eurogroup at the time. Asked at a press conference on Friday if it was possible for a person holding those roles to have a purely social meeting with the boss of Europe’s biggest airline, he insisted “Yes it is.”
He also said: “Any meeting that I have with anybody that refers to government business is recorded and it’s published in my diary.”
[ Ryanair boss remarks about teachers put Fine Gael on the defensiveOpens in new window ]
Asked what he discussed with Mr O’Leary he replied: “We talked about very general matters but if any issue in relation to government business, regulation or policy had been dealt with that would have been recorded and it would have been dealt with in the same way that every other engagement that I do is dealt with.”
Mr Donohoe said he would not describe himself as being friends with Mr O’Leary and, when asked who paid, he said: “I recollect – I mean the dinner happened over two years ago – it happened in the same way that any other dinner I go along to that’s a social event.
“We all paid our fair share.”
Fine Gael faced a significant political backlash after comments made by Mr O’Leary at the launch of Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke’s campaign just after the general election was called. A video of his remarks that surfaced after the event showed he said he would not employ teachers “to go out and get things done”, saying that the Dáil was “full of teachers”.
Mr Donohoe was speaking as Fine Gael launched its proposals for “transforming” Dublin city centre into a more “vibrant”, “safer” and “attractive” destination in which to live, work, open a business and welcome tourists.
Fine Gael is promising improved security measures in the city centre with increased CCTV coverage and a targeted response to reduce open drug use. The party says it will fund 6,000 new Garda recruits nationally over the next five years.
It would redevelop the GPO, “reinforcing its role as a central landmark in Dublin” and provide funding and resources “to enhance the National Concert Hall”.
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