Dáil debates
Wednesday, 14 December 2022
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
Inland Fisheries
8:35 pm
Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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This Topical Issue matter is in the names of Deputies Ring, Fitzmaurice and Canney.
Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for selecting this matter for discussion. Earlier this year I raised this issue with the Minister. Since then, a file has been given to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and to the Secretary General of the Department. Very serious allegations have been made in that file.
This is a long-serving employee who has worked for IFI for many years. His father before him and his family gave great service to this State. He was accused of using a tractor, he was suspended from the company and he was then cleared. Even though the CEO himself used machinery to bring his boat from Galway to Donegal, he suspended the staff member and nothing happened to the CEO.
I am calling on the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, to ask the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to take this seriously. He is responsible and has the seal of office. He is the Minister with responsibility for this Department and I want an independent investigation on this, not by someone within the Department but by someone away from the Department. Bring in a barrister or somebody to do an independent review on this because what has happened to this decent family that gave great service to this State is outrageous. I am asking for the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Secretary General to take a hands-on approach to this. There cannot be two laws in this country; one for the working man and one for CEOs of State agencies. I call my two colleagues to come in on this.
8:45 pm
Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue matter. The appointments of people have been questionable. There are clear messages from the top to the middle and the bottom on what went on and there are transcripts. The Department has all of that in its possession. Allegations were made against the people at the bottom but the one thing the Government should do is appoint a retired High Court judge, an independent person, to look at this. From everything we have seen it stinks from the high heavens.
Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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I want to add my voice to the concerns that have been raised. As the Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment in the last Government, I am truly shocked at what is going on and the evidence I have seen is disturbing. All of our inland fishing is for the benefit of people on the ground and for local angling clubs. What I am beginning to see is that something is going on that is not right. From the evidence I have seen it needs to be investigated as a matter of urgency by an independently appointed person. The onus is on the Minister of State to take this on and to do that as a matter of urgency. There is no point in leaving it for internal investigations because there are allegations up and down the scale here. As Deputy Ring has said, one man who has given almost 40 years of service has been left outside the door for a trivial matter. Yet we see evidence of other things that may be going on so it is important that these things are investigated independently. This is very disturbing.
Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I thank the Deputies. I welcome the opportunity to once again set out the factual position on these matters. I can advise that a number of protected disclosures, mostly anonymous, have been made on IFI to the Department and to IFI itself. These disclosures are being examined in line with the protected disclosure policy of the Department and the equivalent policy of IFI, as appropriate. It is important to note that the veracity of the disclosures has not been established at this stage and this will remain the position pending the outcome of the examinations under both protected disclosure policies.
I am advised by IFI that allegations of serious wrongdoing made in the original anonymous disclosure earlier this year against a senior member of IFI staff have been the subject of a separate independent internal investigation in IFI, which is now concluded. While this investigation was in process, the relevant staff member was suspended. Following the conclusion of the investigation, that staff member has been dismissed. I should also advise that matters examined as part of this investigation are under investigation by An Garda Síochána and in that context, it would not be appropriate to comment further on this particular matter.
In addition, evidence of attempts to place pressure on, and alleged intimidation of, IFI personnel during the course of and subsequent to the investigation referred to above have also been referred to An Garda Síochána for investigation. Some of the matters alleged in subsequent disclosures were raised in Seanad Éireann on 5 May last and the assertions made were the subject of inaccurate media reports relating to IFI. These reports suggested that significant irregularities have been identified in the organisation.
It should be noted that the original disclosure resulting in the dismissal referred to above, and now the subject of a Garda investigation, was not raised on that occasion. The assertions raised on 5 May were fully addressed on a number of occasions in both Houses, setting out the detailed factual position on same. The fact is that these particular issues have been previously considered and addressed through: inter alia, the then chair's statutory statement of internal control; external audit reviews; correspondence between IFI and my Department; and IFI board's own assessment of these matters, which my Department has accepted. The chair's statement on behalf of the board indicates that: issues identified have been addressed; IFI assets are being appropriately managed; and other allegations can be fully refuted by IFI. I want to reiterate that I and my Department have fully accepted the assurances of the board in this regard.
Separately, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, appointed Mr. Conleth Bradley, senior counsel, under section 18 of the Inland Fisheries Act 2010, to carry out a review of the exercise by the board of its functions under the Act. The report of the review carried out by Mr. Bradley was sent to the board and discussed at a meeting between the board and officials of the Department on 26 October, where it was agreed that the review was warranted. All the recommendations therein were accepted by the board and it was agreed that the board would implement all of these recommendations. The primary focus of the Minister, the board and departmental officials is to implement the recommendations and work in close collaboration with the executive and board of IFI for the benefit of the entire inland fisheries resource.
Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I am not happy with that reply. When I raised this in the Dáil last year the Department had to write to me afterwards because I made allegations that there were vehicles in Donegal that were not insured. The record of the Dáil should be corrected because the Department wrote to me to tell me that I was quite correct and that some vehicles were not insured at the time. You cannot believe anything that is coming out from that board and that is why an independent inquiry needs to be held on this immediately. An innocent family man gave loyal service to IFI and somebody came in and his brother was chairman of the board. Whatever differences there were, this is wrong and it has to be dealt with. An injustice has been done here and that injustice will have to be corrected. I will not be letting this go. I will be back here and I will be raising this on the Order of Business every single day in the new year. Something has to be done and maybe the Standards in Public Office Commission or some body like that should come in and independently investigate it.
Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I agree with Deputy Ring that an independent person has to come in. The Minister of State is referring to it going back to IFI to look at it before it comes out again. He should forget about that because the problem has gone too deep. The Minister of State has said that different letters came in. The people who sent files signed their names to them so this is not hidden; it is out in the open and there is a transcript of everything that went on. This is not wonder stuff that has to be investigated morning, noon and night. It is there in black and white and it needs someone from outside to investigate it. Someone from outside who is totally independent must go in and investigate. The Minister of State should get someone like a retired High Court judge to go through it from top to bottom and make sure this is thoroughly investigated.
Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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I want to add my voice to what has been said. We are coming from three different constituencies to bring this to the Minister of State. There is a lot of feeling that there is something wrong and amiss and that it has not been investigated properly or externally. The review that was done on the board was not what was needed. There are actions that have been taken and allegations have been made that have not been refuted, including on the vehicles that were not insured etc. If we continue to brush this over we will end up in a situation where IFI, inland fisheries and the angling clubs will be the victims of all of this. We need to get this right.
Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I acknowledge the strength of feeling from all three Deputies, that they are from different constituencies and that they mean what they say. I should be clear that the process is by no means over. There are a number of Garda investigations ongoing and the latest protected disclosures on IFI, which were mostly anonymously made, are still being examined. The Department has to follow due process; there is a set of laws that have to be complied with and all the allegations have to be fully examined.
The Department has a protected disclosures policy and there is an equivalent protected disclosure policy in IFI and they must be respected. I repeat that the veracity of the disclosures has not yet been established pending the outcome of the examinations of these protected disclosures and the persons against whom unverified disclosures have been made are entitled to fairness and due process. There is a presumption of innocence in this country and the Deputies would expect to receive that for themselves and their constituents.
Regarding the appointment of an external person to carry out an investigation, the Minister did appoint a barrister - senior counsel Conleth Bradley - to carry out a review of the board so he appointed somebody externally. That is an appointment by the Minister from outside the relevant agency to carry out a review of the execution and functions of the board. The process of examination is by no means over. It must be carried out in compliance with the law and according to due process. Garda investigations must be allowed to take their course without me making comments that would prejudice them or interfere with them in any way.