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

That is the main thrust of it. On lobbying, again, all I can do is say to the Senator what I experienced during this period.

I saw the text messages that came from Katherine Zappone to me as from an enthusiastic person who wanted to get an update. I did not see it as lobbying. I did not feel any pressure and if I had, I probably would have responded to those texts and I did not. Instead, I simply left the Department to deal with the matter of whether we would move ahead with the process. It did extensive work on that.

She sent me a number of texts over a number of months following a conversation I had with her because she was enthusiastic about that role. I can absolutely see why, given the narrative that has since developed, many people would see that as lobbying. I certainly did not see it as that.