IDA head was briefed to downplay far-right protests

Briefings prepared last autumn said Michael Lohan needed to be ready for questions on housing shortages, neutrality, and rising anti-immigration sentiment

Q&As prepared for IDA Ireland CEO Michael Lohan in advance of a British media tour explained how the IDA was an agency of the State and would work with any political party that was elected to government.

A briefing for the boss of the IDA said the agency was prepared to work with any political party including Sinn Féin and that the media was disproportionately reporting on protests and disturbances caused by the far right.

Q&As prepared for CEO Michael Lohan in advance of a British media tour explained how the IDA was an agency of the State and would work with any political party that was elected to government.

The briefings were prepared last autumn and in advance of the November general election and said Mr Lohan needed to be ready for questions on housing shortages, Ireland’s neutrality, and rising anti-immigration sentiment.

On the explosion in anti-immigrant hostility, the briefing said Ireland had always been a welcoming place, but that housing and infrastructure pressures were being felt nationwide.

The Q&A said: “Unfortunately when such pressures occur, it provides an opportunity for a small number of right-wing extremists to exploit the situation for their own cause.

“And unfortunately, the media disproportionately report on any protests or disturbances presenting the wrong impression.” 

On the shortage of homes, the advisory said that a growing economy with rapid population increase had inevitably led to “significant housing pressure.”

“Our population has grown by 10% to 5.1m,” said the briefing. 

“Thankfully, the population growth is spread across different regions of the country, which is very welcome from an FDI [foreign direct investment] perspective.

“Housing is the number one domestic policy challenge facing government and they recognise that we need to be building more houses, in the right locations and at affordable prices.” 

It said despite housing shortages, significant foreign investment continued in Ireland and that the government planned to deliver 300,000 new homes by 2030.

On the make-up of the government and the possibility that Sinn Féin could form part of it, Mr Lohan was recommended to emphasise the IDA’s mandate and history.

The Q&A said: “[We] work on behalf of the government, regardless of what political party is in government.

“We have done this continuously since our establishment in 1959 and will continue to do so in the future.” 

The IDA chief was also told to expect questions on Ireland’s neutrality particularly in the context of “Russian oppression” in Ukraine.

The advisory notes said: “Ireland’s policy of military neutrality has long been an important strand of our independent foreign policy.

“It is important to state that despite our neutrality, we have accepted over 70,000 displaced Ukrainian citizens into Ireland since the war began.” 

Mr Lohan was advised as well to be on his guard for questions about subsidies for big tech, which were starting to cause a “stir” in Germany where farmers were having subsidies cut.

The Q&A said: “Are there similar debates in Ireland?” 

A suggested approach for the IDA CEO to use said Ireland rejected a “subsidy race with other countries and regions.” 

Queries about job losses in the tech sector were also considered likely with the IDA briefing on “increasing economic headwinds” and a “more conservative outlook”.

The document said however: “Nevertheless, in many cases, layoffs being implemented in Ireland are proportionally less than in sister sites around the world.” 

A separate briefing explored what to say in response to Donald Trump’s proposals around the introduction of tariffs.

In the documents, the IDA chief was reminded of a “golf handicap analogy” to use, which was not explained in detail in the notes.

However, the Q&A did say: “While the belief may be that you’re protecting your own economy, ultimately you could be hindering its growth because historically tariffs lead to tit-for-tat reactions which can quickly spiral into trade wars which is not in any country’s interest.” 

Asked about the records, the IDA said they had nothing further to add to the contents.