IRELAND: "Corrupt" asset information - 2 ministers resign in Ireland over irregularities in figures

Indians Daily 📧: newsindiansdaily@gmail.com January 13, 2023 0

Dublin: Two ministers in Ireland had two different reasons for resigning. The Ditch News website ignited the controversy of 2 ministers, if the resignation was reached, the circumstances are very different from 1.

Damien English, Robert Troy

Controversy surrounding Robert Troy, the first to resign, stemmed from his failure to declare all his rental property transactions to the Dáil's Register of Members' Interests.

From July 2020 to August 2022, Minister Robert Troy served as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with specific responsibility for business promotion. In the past week, pressure has been mounting on Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy over his 'excluded' property declarations.

The law requires Dáil members to declare any sale of goods or services to public bodies if the value exceeds €6,500.

Despite several apologies and clarifications from the Longford/Westmeath constituency TD, the scandal finally resulted in him resigning as Minister of State on Wednesday evening.

The Ditch reported that Minister of State for Trade Promotion Robert failed to include the sale of a property in Mullingar to Westmeath County Council for €230,000 in his declaration to the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPPO).

According to the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995, Robert had not declared the sale of the property in his Dale return. This resulted in his resignation on Wednesday. In the case of Damien English, who resigned today, the incident involved failing to disclose information about the ownership of a residential property. Individuals wishing to build a home in rural areas must demonstrate a local housing need.

In the local requirement form, which must be completed for all rural housing planning applications in counties, the form asks several questions, such as the applicant's address and specifically whether the applicant owns property. But
in County Meath For himself in this form the property Minister English admitted that he had declared no,

“I have reviewed this application made in 2008 and it is clear to me that I failed to notify Meath County Council of my ownership of my home in Castle Martin. “It was wrong and did not meet the required standards and I apologize for doing so. “I would like to thank the people of Meath West for their continued support of me as their TD. I will continue to serve them and work hard for them in the constituency.

So English's resignation was not because of his failure to declare the property he owned on the Register of Members' Interests - but following the former junior minister's 2008 planning application for another house.

In that application he falsely informed Meath County Council that he did not own a home and therefore met the council's 'housing requirement' requirements. That led to his resignation today.