Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to respond to the different points Deputies have made this evening. I begin by acknowledging that a wide variety of questions have been put to me. First, in my response, I want to give the best answers I can to many of those questions. Second, I emphasise my apology for what has happened and my awareness of the issues that this conveys regarding integrity in public life and issues that really matter to me. Third, I will also respond to the issues that have been raised regarding my role as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform with regard to SIPO and, fourth, how the work of my Department will continue in the time ahead.

Many different and detailed questions have been raised regarding how many posters were put up, at what cost and at what time. I have done my best to provide the information I can for an election that happened nearly seven years ago. I reiterate my apology and acknowledge my recognition of the mistake that I made. What I should have done at election time and in the aftermath of the election when I became aware of payments being made to the individuals who were involved in postering and when I became aware of the use of a commercial van, was reviewed and renewed my electoral submission. That is my responsibility. I should have taken that action. When I became aware of an allegation in 2017 and when I became aware of the questions that came in to me at the end of last year, the mistake I made, for which I take responsibility, was that, due to my understanding at that time that those individuals had not been paid for by my campaign organisation, and my lack of awareness that they had been paid at all, at no point did I feel there was a need to review the submission I had made to SIPO. I got that wrong and I apologise for getting that wrong.

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