Taoiseach rejects Lost at Sea plea

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has rejected the Ombudsman’s call to have the Lost at Sea report reopened.

Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly had laid a special report before the Oireachtas on the Department of Agriculture’s refusal to pay compensation of €245,570 to the family of Francis Byrne.

Mr Byrne, his 16-year-old son Jimmy and three other crew died when the family’s fishing boat sank in a storm off Donegal in 1981.

Mr Cowen said the controversy was being generated by the Opposition and the Government had the legal right to ignore the recommendations. He said some of the Ombudsman’s reports were only accepted out of respect for the office. And in the case of the Lost at Sea compensation report the Department of Agriculture was able to reject it.

“Any department is free in law to decide whether it will accept the recommendation,” he said.

On Tuesday the Ombudsman launched a stinging attack on the Oireachtas for its inability to hold public institutions to account.

The opposition united against Mr Cowen’s attitude. Fine Gael’s Michael Creed warned the Taoiseach the matter was not going to die unless Ms O’Reilly’s report was referred to the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee for investigation. He said Fianna Fáil was circling the wagons to protect its TD Frank Fahey, who was the minister responsible for the scheme.

“We need a forensic investigation and interviews with various parties, including Deputy Fahey, whom the Taoiseach is intent on protecting. We are offering Deputy Fahey, the Ombudsman and the complainant an opportunity to come before the committee. That is what true and effective parliamentary democracy is about, not a charade and a whitewash,” he said.

Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore said the affair could not be resolved unless dealt with fully by an all-party committee.