Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government has belatedly approved the filling the two vacancies on the six-member Standards in Public Office Commission, SIPO. The vacancies arose back in February. Sinn Féin welcomes this as it will allow the commission to do some of its work that it cannot do at the minute while the vacancies remain unfilled. One of the vacancies must be filled by a former Member of the Oireachtas. The Government has proposed the appointment of Geraldine Feeney, a former Fianna Fáil Senator with whom I served in the Seanad, to that role and, therefore, she fulfils that criterion. Maybe the Tánaiste can tell us whether he is aware that Ms Feeney is not just a former Oireachtas Member.

She also became a professional lobbyist. There is a question as to whether it is appropriate for a motion to come before the House, without debate, asking the Houses to appoint not only a former Member of the Oireachtas but also a professional lobbyist to the Standards in Public Office Commission, SIPO. There is another issue. Geraldine Feeney in her role as a lobbyist only ever lobbied for the National Association of General Practitioners, NAGP. Her eight returns to the Standards in Public Office Commission show that. The Tánaiste is aware that there is a complaint relating to his conduct on which SIPO will have to adjudicate. Is it appropriate that the Tánaiste and the Government have proposed, after a nine-month delay, to appoint Geraldine Feeney, who was a professional lobbyist for the NAGP with regard to the GP contract, to the Standards in Public Office Commission?

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