Harney’s memory clouded on meetings with landowner

EFFORTS by Mary Harney to banish smog from Dublin in the late 1980s weren’t a total success.

The former junior environment minister admitted yesterday that her memory remained clouded about the details of meetings she held with a landowner from her own constituency just a few years later.

Fortunately for the Tánaiste, she was one of the few politicians to meet Chris Jones in the early 1990s who was not accused of taking bribes from agents acting for the wealthy farmer-turned-businessman.

The PD leader must also be one of the rare witnesses at the Planning Tribunal who viewed an appearance at Dublin Castle as a welcome change. In her case, it offered a brief respite from her daily efforts to rezone hospital consultants, health insurance companies and sick birds.

Waiting times to appear before the tribunal have suffered major delays of late due to legal challenges and Ms Harney herself had faced a lengthy wait for a second appointment following her earlier appearance before the former chairman, Mr Justice Feargus Flood, in May 1999.

On that occasion, she underwent a microscopic examination of alleged information she had received from the husband of a PD member that a large sum of money had been paid to Ray Burke. However, the bedside manner of tribunal lawyers was far more relaxed yesterday, largely due to the clean bill of health that the Tánaiste enjoyed over her dealings with property developers.

The lack of controversy surrounding her appearance was evident by the fact that journalists and photographers easily outnumbered the small group of people sitting in the auditorium.

The members of the public could be counted on the fingers of one hand if one excluded the Tánaiste’s husband, Brian Geoghegan, and a few of their friends. Ms Harney proved she was no (Adrian) Mole as she admitted keeping no personal diaries or records of meetings with lobbyists. However, she recalled that she knew well (from social circles) Mr Jones’s business colleague, Derry Hussey.

Asked about her relationship with the late TD, Liam Lawlor, Ms Harney observed wistfully: “I don’t think I would be a person who he would be seeking support from.”

The Tánaiste said that she normally referred all lobbyists to PD councillors. “I would tell people the lay of the land,” said Ms Harney in an unintentional pun.

Chris Jones also knew about the PD leader’s own agricultural background as he outlined to her how he felt “a bit hard done by” for having to look after a herd of pedigree Friesians, while other farmers were having their lands turned into lucrative housing estates.

Ms Harney admitted she sympathised with Farmer Jones as both her late father and brother were farmers.

It all went to prove the old saying that the Government jet might take the Tánaiste abroad but you can’t take the country out of the girl.