Fianna Fáil minister of state Niall Collins has told the Dáil he was in absolutely no doubt that his actions at all times were legally correct in relation to the sale of a vacant site in Co Limerick in 2008.
Mr Collins was part of a local area committee of Limerick County Council that recommended disposal of a property in Patrickswell in 2007 when he was a member of the local authority. An open market process that concluded after he had ceased to be a member of the authority, saw the property bought by his wife, Dr Eimear O’Connor, who had previously approached the council about selling.
Earlier, Tánaiste Micheál Martin hit out at The Ditch investigative website that broke the story about the controversial purchase from Limerick County Council.
Under questioning from Opposition TDs during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil on Thursday, Mr Martin said it was important that the full story is told and that at the outset the full story was not told by The Ditch. “I don’t think this House should be a slave or should be facilitating political campaigns organised by a platform,” he said. “I don’t see The Ditch as an independent media platform at all. Paddy Cosgrave does, Paddy Cosgrave is a backer, Chay Bowes is a founding member of the Ditch.”
The junior minister concluded his statement with no questions and answers session with Opposition TDs.
Mr Collins said in hindsight and given the focus and “perception amongst some” that has arisen in 2023, some 15 years later, “it would have been better had I not participated in the local area committee meeting in January of 2007″.
“Even though it is absolutely clear that my wife did not benefit in any way from my attendance at the January 2007 meeting,” he said.
When I did attend, it was my full understanding and it remains the same today, that I was not participating in a discussion or a decision that in any way contravened the 2001 Local Government Act,” he said.
“No law was broken. I did not participate in any decision that authorised the sale of this land, this could only be done by the full county council in accordance with the statutory process.
“This occurred more than 18 months later, when I was no longer a member of Limerick County Council.”
Mr Collins said prior to the disposal of the property in September 2008 and in accordance with the instruction of the auctioneer by the council, his wife submitted an application for planning permission in December of 2007 to build a two-storey building comprising of a ground floor medical centre and first floor offices.
The council granted conditional permission for the development in June 2008 and in August 2008, the senior engineer for Limerick County Council formally recommended the sale of the site.
He said this was followed by the council issuing a notice for the disposal of the site on September 1st ahead of a full council meeting on September 22nd, 2008 when the sale of the land for €148,000 was approved.
Mr Collins said “for the record” he was not a member of Limerick County Council in September 2008 having been elected a TD in May of 2007.
He said when the council executive recommended to the Bruff Area Committee, that the property should be put up for sale in January 2007, “neither I, nor my wife, had any pecuniary or beneficial interest in that property”.
Mr Collins said the council had a full meeting on September 22nd, 2008 and approved the sale of the property for the sum of €148,000 and that the purchaser and highest bidder was his wife Dr Eimear O’Connor.
He said it was clear the property went on sale on the open market with an independent auctioneer appointed by the county council.
“Anyone could have bid on the property and indeed a number of offers were received over a period of six months or so,” he said.
Mr Collins said subsequently the council’s executive appointed an independent auctioneer as the council’s agent to conduct a sale of the property on the open market and to sell the site subject to outline planning permission being granted.
He said the property was marketed for sale including advertisements in the local newspaper inviting offers. Mr Collins said he has seen the documents released by Limerick County Council under FOI and it would appear that a number of offers were received through the auctioneer over a period of at least 6 months ranging from €110,000 to €125,000 and then ultimately a final offer of €148,000.
He said there was then a letter from the auctioneer to the senior engineer of the council that the property should be sold at that price.
He said it was agreed at the area committee meeting that the property should be sold on the open market and there was no vote taken and no disagreement to the proposal by the council executive.
Mr Collins said it was important to state that an area committee of a local authority, which in the case of Bruff, included only 7 councillors, does not have disposal rights in regard to the sale of council property.
“This is a reserved and statutory function of the full county council by law,” he said.
Mr Collins said the question of the potential sale of the property in question at Main Street, Patrickswell was brought to the Bruff area committee by the council executive on January 15th, 2007, which he attended.
He said there were various expressions of interest by members of the public and one of the persons who expressed an interest in the property was Dr O’Connor, who was also his wife.
Junior minister Niall Collins has just begun his address to the Dáil. He said he was in absolutely no doubt that his actions at all times were legally correct. He said he was a councillor until May 2007 when he was elected to the Dáil.
Mr Martin said that it was “clear to me that Chay Bowes is a political opponent of the Government, Paddy Cosgrave is a political opponent of the Government”.
“I mean I’d love to know who’s funding The Ditch in its entirety. They partly fund it. Who else is funding it because they have no advertising, no subscriptions?,” he said.
“Did you ever question, through the chair, who’s funding all of this?
Mr Martin went on to say what “really alarms” him was the Russian Embassy in Ireland “praised Chay Bowes” in February 2023 with a tweet on his essay.
“And I read the essay, blaming the West for the war in Ukraine and they quote ‘an extensive analysis of the proxy war waged by the United States, EU and Nato against Russia in Ukraine by @BowesChay, an independent journalist from Ireland’,” Mr Martin said.
“Who then a few weeks ago on April 9th turns up on RT India where a caption refers to him as Russia Today correspondent. Now that’s what’s behind On the Ditch lads. And I’d pose the question to the entire Dáil. And I’d pose the question to the entire Dáil – is it our function to slavishly follow its agenda, all of the time? I’d ask for reflection on that.
The Tánaiste said there was nothing to cover-up as the People Before Profit TD said, and that Paul Murphy had made up his mind a long time ago.
Mr Martin said it would have been better if Mr Collins left the meeting and that he was trying to be fair and balanced.
He added that he didn’t engage in any bluff and that he was very clear, “this has been going on for quite some time, there has been attempted character assassinations of many politicians in this House of many political parties if they’re not the same political orientation of those who back The Ditch”.
“The selective and distorted way that stories are originated and presented leads an awful lot to be desired. This is a political organisation. That’s my point. The whole agenda is create the campaign, get to the paid ads, get it trending, attack media if they don’t cover it and then we’ll get into the Dáil for questions and answers.”
Mr Murphy responded by saying that without The Ditch, Robert Troy would still be a minister as would Damian English. “No wonder you’re attempting to undermine The Ditch because the Ditch has been quite successful in exposing corrupt, unethical practices by ministers in your Government and in your party,” he told the Tánaiste.
Mr Murphy said Mr Collins’ wife had a particular interest in the matter of the land being put up for sale and that he did not disclose this interest and didn’t withdraw from the meeting.
“How can he remain as a minister?,” he said. “His wife bought the land from the Council for €148,000. She’s reportedly in the process of selling back to the council, that will be for an amount of many multiples of that.
“He used his position on the Council not for the benefit of the public that elected him but for the enrichment of his own family.
“It smells like the same old sleeveen behaviour, the same old stroke politics of Fianna Fáil,” he said.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said the Tánaiste earlier speech was “quite an incredible display of bluff, of bluster and of attempted distraction with what’s been happening here”.
“He didn’t answer any of the questions,” Mr Murphy said. “Why has your Government with the support of the so-called Independents voted to block any questioning of Minister Niall Collins?
“We know that we will not get a proper addressing of the very serious allegations of corruption against him.”
“Why are you protecting Niall Collins”, he asked.
Mr Martin referenced a tweet that Paddy Cosgrave posted earlier this year about “maybe it’s time to body bag…a few minions in media, civil service, charities, judiciary, private sector”.
The Tánaiste said “we are not going to facilitate this” and accused Holly Cairns of “slavishly” following this agenda.
“I don’t think this House should be a slave or should be facilitating political campaigns organised by a platform,” he said. “I don’t see The Ditch as an independent media platform at all. Paddy Cosgrave does, Paddy Cosgrave is a backer, Chay Bowes is a founding member of the Ditch.”
Mr Martin said the Russian Ambassador is “full of praise” of Chay Bowes “for his characterisation of the Russian war on Ukraine as a NATO-EU organised war and he was a founding member of The Ditch”.
“I’m a fair person. I’ve been a member of this House for a long, long time. But the world of politics has changed. I understand what has changed. I know what’s going on here in terms of the broader political world,” he said.
Mr Martin said if you look at the “whole campaign” and how it was orgainsed over the last week, it deserves analysis.
“The trending, the build-up, the hashtags, the algorithms, the paid ads, the berating of the media for daring not to discuss it or cover it. Extraordinary full frontal attacks on the national broadcaster on other TV [channels] and other media for not following [the Ditch’s story]. Mr Martin said “this is a political campaign”.
Mr Martin alleged the Ditch is “a political organisation, attacking Government and wanting to undermine confidence in Government”.
“That’s what’s going on here…As far as I’m concerned. I’m fully cognisant of what’s going on here and I see this through a totally different prism how all of this has been organised, set up, by people who are very clear in their campaign against me, against my party.”
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns raised the statement of junior minister Niall Collins is due to make and said that questions remain.
The Cork South-West TD said she would not pre-empt what he was going to say but asked were standards of accountability and transparency in the Government slipping.
Ms Cairns said for the second time in two months Mr Collins would address the Dáil but notes the Taoiseach said that facilitating questions and answers would be akin to a kangaroo court.
“Why refuse the Opposition to question deputy Collins?,” she asked.
“Why is there one rule for deputy Collins and another for other members of your Government.?”
Jennifer Bray, Political Correspondent adds: The Ceann Comhairle has agreed to a request by Niall Collins to make a personal explanation pursuant to Standing Order 56 in the Dáil today. It will take place at 1.55pm.
In response Pearse Doherty’s question on interest rates, Mr Martin said the ECB has responded to inflation by increasing interest rates and that mortgage interest relief was phased out on a gradual basis from 2009 to 2020.
He said it cost more than €700 million in 2008. Mr Martin acknowledged people are being impacted by higher rates but that the budgetary process was the most appropriate way to deal with cost of living measures, adding that overall the Government will look at mortgage interest relief in the context of the budget and wider cost of living measures.
Sinn Féin deputy leader Pearse Doherty kicked off Leaders’ Questions saying that since July the European Central Bank has increased mortgage interest rates six times, with rates expected to increase again.
Mr Doherty said families and workers are paying hundreds of euros extra per month, at a time when people are facing a cost of living crisis. The Donegal TD said the situation is unbearable for many.
Mr Doherty said the State can help and that the Government should support Sinn Féin’s proposal for mortgage interest relief. He asked Tánaiste Micheál Martin what measures will the Government be taking after they voted down Sinn Féin’s motion on mortgage interest relief on Wednesday night.
On Monday the head of Belgium’s central bank warned that investors are underestimating how high euro zone borrowing costs will rise, insisting he will only agree to halt interest rate rises once wage growth starts to fall.
So, what’s the Niall Collins controversy about?
Mr Collins was part of a local area committee of Limerick County Council that recommended disposal of a property in Patrickswell, Co Limerick in 2007 when he was a member of the local authority. An open market process that concluded after he had ceased to be a member of the authority, saw the property bought by his wife, Dr Eimear O’Connor, who had previously approached the council about selling. Mr Collins has been sharply criticised for his apparent failure to declare his wife’s interest in buying the property or recuse himself from the local committee’s recommendation. The allegations were first reported in The Ditch, an investigative news website.
Opposition TDs have been calling for Mr Collins’ Dáil statement to include a questions and answers session but Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl indicated on Wednesday that this was unlikely to happen.
On Monday night Mr Collins issued a statement on the land sale to his wife through the Fianna Fáil press office. He said that the process was “open” and “transparent” and added that he was not a member of the council in September 2008 when the sale was completed.
He also said that when the local area committee decided to recommend a sale, neither he nor his wife had any “pecuniary or beneficial” interest in the property.
The decision to sell the property was made following an inquiry from solicitors acting for Mr Collins’ wife, Dr O’Connor.
Coalition leaders have been critical of Mr Collins, with the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar saying that it would have been “better practice” had he declared his interest, while the Green leader Eamon Ryan said that he “should have recused himself”.
Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien on Wednesday night became the latest senior Government figure to defend Mr Collins and said he was sure the Limerick TD’s statement would put remaining questions to bed. Harry McGee and Cormac McQuinn report this morning that Opposition TDs have been calling for Mr Collins’ Dáil statement to include a questions and answers session but Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl indicated on Wednesday that this was unlikely to happen
Who is Niall Collins?
The TD is the scion of a Limerick political dynasty and has consistently polled well, even at low points for the Fianna Fáil party. Read Cormac McQuinn’s profile here.
Miriam Lord has been at her best on all of this of course, noting that “if it’s Thursday, expect another Kit-Kat apology”. She was referring to the story at the beginning of last month, when the Minister of State and Fianna Fáil TD for Limerick County found himself in hot water over inconsistencies in a planning application he submitted 22 years ago for a house on land owned by his family in Patrickswell. To nobody’s surprise, he bowed to the inevitable, but he did it when his opponents’ backs were turned. Read Miriam’s column here. Here’s the ad she was referring to:
