Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

When I tabled the matter, I referred to the implications of recent and escalating developments regarding INM based on the ODCE's investigation into the company. At the time I was referring to the significant concerns about what could only be considered as the hacking of emails, which potentially compromised huge numbers of journalists and their sources, and had major implications in terms of damage to the independence of media and the protection of journalism. However, I cannot ignore the most obvious escalating development, the involvement of the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment in this issue. On 6 December 2016, in reply to a priority question, he told me that he had only commenced the phase one assessment of the takeover on 24 November 2016, that his officials had not yet made any decision and that he had 30 days in which to make a decision on three options, one of which was potential referral to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, BAI. He stated: "I have not received the report from my officials yet." The Director of Corporate Enforcement's affidavit states a month earlier, on the afternoon of 11 November, the Minister personally told a representative of Heneghan PR that he would refer the proposed merger to the BAI based on the advice of his officials. Heneghan PR which is headed by Nigel Heneghan is an adviser to Leslie Buckley and spokesman for INM and a member of the BAI's compliance committee. A PR firm employed by INM with close ties to all of the main protagonists in INM made direct contact with a Minister and was made privy to a decision, about which I as a parliamentarian was told weeks later had yet not been made. The repercussions are stunning, not least in respect of the implications for potential market manipulation and insider dealing but also the questions it raises about corporate governance within INM and the axis of power between major shareholders of INM and the Minister's Department.

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