Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair and members of the committee for the opportunity to come before them again today. The first thing I want to do is to apologise to all committee members for creating the circumstances that require a second hearing in a week on the same issue of the appointment of a special envoy. Due to the sloppiness of some of my answers to their legitimate questions last week we are back here again in order, I hope, to bring clarity to outstanding issues once and for all.

Since last week, I have asked that all documentation available in my Department be publicly released early, in advance of the previous commitment of 8 September, to facilitate as detailed, accurate and comprehensive a presentation as possible today.

In recent weeks, a lot has been said and written about me in the context of Katherine Zappone and her proposed appointment as a special envoy. The fact is that I have contributed to much of that criticism and commentary. I have had the privilege of being in public life for 23 years as a TD, MEP and Government Minister. I have made mistakes on that journey but this is the first time my integrity has been questioned on political actions.

While the Taoiseach understandably has sought to put some context around the political controversy of a part-time temporary appointment, in truth this has rumbled on for far too long and should have come to an end on the basis of a clear and credible explanation well before now. A number of members asked me last week for a structured chronology of events, meetings, contacts, reports and decisions in relation to this appointment. I was not in a position to give that level of detail last week but I certainly am now and my Department has published the files to do just that. Before taking questions, I would like to directly address a number of issues that for understandable reasons have been raised in public commentary.

First, Katherine Zappone did not ask me for a job at any stage. She did text me for advice on 22 February about the possibility of working with USAID on women, gender equality and LGBTQ issues and on whether I could make an introduction for her. That is all she looked for from me at that point and I did not respond. Second, the idea of Katherine Zappone playing a role for the Irish Government came about from a short conversation I had with my Secretary General on 24 February after a meeting, when I raised the question as to whether she might be of use to our team at the UN. I had not spoken to Katherine at that stage. The Secretary General responded positively but said that he wanted to take some time to think about it. I told Katherine Zappone of that conversation in a phone call on 26 February and agreed to come back to her when the Secretary General had any update.

Niall Burgess subsequently came back to me a few days later, as he informed this committee last week, to say that the Biden Administration would be appointing a special envoy for LGBTI+ rights and that he was interested in the Department exploring the benefits of such a role for Ireland. It was in that context that I raised the possibility of a special envoy with Katherine Zappone and asked her if she would be interested in such a role, should the Department develop and recommend it. That phone call was on 3 March and triggered a text to me from Katherine the following day, enthusiastically thanking me for the opportunity. It was not a job offer at that stage, as I made it very clear that the concept needed to be developed by the Department, which is exactly what subsequently happened as the files will show. Looking back now, I should have been clearer with Katherine on the extent of the work needed in the Department before a formal role could be offered to her.

I did not speak to Katherine Zappone again until 19 July, despite the fact that she had been looking for updates, and that brief conversation was just to confirm her meeting with Niall Burgess in Dublin to try to finalise matters. In the meantime, the Department did extensive work, including a food for thought paper on 25 March, a paper on envoys in the EU, US and UK on 29 March, an initial concept note on 18 April and ultimately, a special envoy terms of reference document in July.

I have made mistakes in recent weeks in failing to convincingly explain how this role came about, therefore contributing to what has become a political embarrassment for the Government. Despite that, I hope that the documents before the committee today will confirm the Department's due diligence on the potential benefits of this role for Ireland and the clear suitability of Katherine Zappone for the job proposed. My Department is now reviewing the role and appointment process of special envoys for the future. I agree with the Taoiseach that from now on, should a special envoy be recommended, we should ensure an open, competitive process to fill any such position. Once again, I thank members for their time and in particular their patience on this topic and I look forward to trying to respond to all of their questions.