The Oireachtas will break up tomorrow for its Chrissy holliers and won’t be back unil the 16th January 2012, but the final debates of 2012 today didn’t display much Seasonal goodwill.
Sinn Fein again returned to the issue of Minister for Health James Reilly’s controversial “bumping-up” of two sites in his Dublin constituency for development as primary care centres. Since the “bumping-up” in July 2012, there has been the highest-ranking resignation so far of this Coalition administration with junior health minister Rosin Shortall baling out, criticising the Minister for engaging in stroke politics.
Two distinct issues have emerged – the apparent pork-barrelling of siting two health facilities in the Minister’s constituency which might serve to bolster the Minister’s chances of re-election and secondly, the selection of a site belonging to a developer who is both an associate of the Minister and a borrower at NAMA.
It was the second of these issues that was the subject of the final Leaders Questions this morning, where Sinn Fein’s deputy leader, Mary Lou McDonald tackled An Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore in the wake of papers, recently released to Sinn Fein under the Freedom of Information legislation, and which Sinn Fein allege showed that in advance of the Minister meeting with NAMA in April 2012, that the specific site belonging to the Minister’s associate at 66,68,70 Dublin Street, Balbriggan had been examined by the Minister. The Minister has always maintained that he did not discuss or refer to the specific site at Dublin Street when he met with NAMA in April 2012, but it seems that it wouldn’t take much to conclude the reference by Minister Reilly at his meeting with NAMA to a site “currently used as a car park” in Balbriggan was in fact the site at Dublin Street.
A copy of the Freedom of Information documents has been requested.
Deputy McDonald went on to charge the Minister with corruption, and in response to that, An Tanaiste invited Deputy McDonald to repeat that accusation outside the Dail where such charges wouldn’t be immune to legal action for defamation. And remembering that Sinn Fein is nursing a €100,000 defamation damages case in Northern Ireland this week – plus legal costs estimated at €400,000 on top– there might be no immediate appetite to put Party finances at risk. It should be said that Sinn Fein is said to be considering an appeal in this defamation case.
An Tanaiste this morning said that an internal audit probe into political influence over the selection of the site in Balbriggan has in October 2012 uncovered no evidence of untoward influence. That internal audit may now come in for intense focus to ensure its scope, resourcing and terms of reference were adequate to investigate the matter. Minister Reilly has always maintained the site in Balbriggan was selected after applying appropriate selection criteria.
The controversy hasn’t gone away, you know.
NAMA Wine Lake 
16th Jan? why arent they back on the 2nd running the country properly? ha ha what a joke
I was talking to a man tonight who is the most anti-Sinn Fein person imaginable and he was saying how he was very impressed with Pearse Doherty’s performance in the Dail today. I’ve heard many people say that Sinn Fein is the only party asking the tough questions of the Government and that they are the only effective opposition. I abhor everything Sinn Fein ever stood for (in terms of their support for violent nationalism) and I’m not crazy either about some of their particular left-wing politics, but I have to admit I’d certainly consider voting for Sinn Fein if Pearse Doherty were in my constituency. If only Pearse, Mary Lou, and others could set up their own party (leaving people like Gerry Adams and Martin Ferris behind) I think I would vote for them. FF are very compromised and part of the same clientalist political machine as the Government parties and so are utterly incapable of asking the tough questions.
Yes, Pearse Doherty as well as Stephen Donnelly are VERY impressive and head and shoulders above anyone else in the Dail. SD’s relentless questioning of Ray McSharry about his role as a public interest director at the Joint Committee was superb – the look on McSharry’s face spoke volumes.
http://www.broadsheet.ie/2012/12/20/ray-mcsharry-public-interest-director/
The deepest irony of all is that Sinn Fein is the most fiscally conservative party in the Dail. They advocate cutting public sector wages and raising taxes. While they are ostensibly against cutting welfare benefits, after implementing the former cuts, they will be in a political position to cut the latter.
For some reason, all I could think of upon hearing this was the immortal words: “Fight me at mass”.
I think the Dail has become just as absurd, outrageous, and demented as a Rubberbandits sketch.