Standards watchdog raps Fahey letter

LABOUR affairs minister Frank Fahey was yesterday reprimanded by the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) for using departmental facilities for election purposes.

According to a statement from the parliamentary ethics watchdog, Mr Fahey and Education Minister Noel Dempsey both failed to abide by the code of conduct for office holders.

The code forbids ministers using public resources for election purposes.

After considering the issue, SIPO concluded that the code not been "appropriately observed by either Minister."

The terms of the code say that: "Office holders should ensure that their use of officially provided facilities are designed to give the public value for money and to avoid any abuse of the privileges which, undoubtedly, are attached to office."

Although the Commission has written to Mr Dempsey, Mr Fahey and the Taoiseach it has decided that any further investigation is not warranted.

In April, Mr Fahey sent invitations to business people to attend a "corporate breakfast" in support of a Fianna Fáil European candidate Sean O'Neachtain on Government department headed notepaper.

The letters on notepaper headed "Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Office of the Minister for Labour Affairs" were sent in April just days after Mr Dempsey used civil servants to prepare canvassing material for Fianna Fáil candidates.

Both ministers were, at the time, criticised by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern who described their actions as totally inappropriate.

Earlier this week, Education Minister Mr Dempsey apologised to the Dáil for his breach and promised that Fianna Fáil would repay the €2,600 cost of preparing briefing folders for party candidates during the local election campaign.

"I am offering an apology to my colleagues in Government and to the House and have made arrangements to pay €2,590 to the Department. This was the cost of the material and the time of the civil servants," he said

A spokesman for the Department of Trade Enterprise and Employment said the cost of Mr Fahey's breach was still being assessed but it is understood to be less than €2,000.

In a statement released yesterday Minister Fahey acknowledged the breach of guidelines. "In light of the Commission's conclusions I am arranging to reimburse to the Department the amount of any monies deemed to have been spent inappropriately," he said.