Marina decision lands Ahern in hot water

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern was embroiled in a major row over political patronage yesterday, this time over a controversial marina dubbed “Punchestown-on-Sea”.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny yesterday charged that the Taoiseach had personally approved €750,000 funding for the marina near Kenmare without the normal assessments on its merits being carried out by the Department of the Marine.

Mr Kenny said he intended to write to the Comptroller and Auditor General about the manner in which it was approved.

Part of the marina had to be demolished last month, because it was incorrectly located and was also larger than the original planning permission had stipulated.

The Department of Communications and the Marine is currently taking legal advice with a view to recouping funding of €333,312 paid to the promoters in December, 2001.

Department sources said the Marine had not been informed by the promoters at the time it paid the grant that Kerry County Council had served an enforcement order against the development the previous August. The sources said the department’s view was the developers had a duty of care to provide proper information to the department.

The documents, obtained by TG4 under the FOI Act, reveal that the project was personally approved by the Taoiseach after he was lobbied by independent Kerry South deputy Jackie Healy-Rae in 2000. Mr Healy-Rae was one of a number of independents on whom the then FF-PD coalition was reliant.

Yesterday in the Dáil, Mr Kenny referred to a letter issued by then Marine Minister, Frank Fahey, in December, 2000, to representatives of the marina promoters.

Mr Kenny said that a handwritten note on the letter showed that several key revisions had been made that changed the status of the project. The note refers to changes requested by Mr Healy-Rae and agreed by the Taoiseach and his programme manager, Gerry Hickey.

The key change was that the minister would agree to the project being grant-aided, without first subjecting it to normal appraisal procedures.

Mr Kenny said that the department should have carried out the appraisal, but it seemed to have been done by the Taoiseach, his political adviser and an independent TD.

“It is the creation of a slush fund for political patronage by [Mr Ahern] and on his direction and is an insult to the people of the country,” said Mr Kenny. An internal memo also reveals that senior officials in Marine expressed concern that the letter would be cited as an “irreversible commitment to the funding in advance of consideration”. It also noted the Taoiseach was anxious that the letter be issued without delay.

The officials’ concerns were over-ruled by Mr Fahey who directed the letter be issued.

In the Dáil yesterday, Mr Ahern defended the decision and said the project was properly dealt with by officials. Mr Healy Rae said that the developer, Danny McCarthy, would rebuild the centre in the correct location at his own expense, and then draw down the rest of the grant he was legally entitled to.

A photo caption in yesterday’s Irish Examiner incorrectly stated the marina in Kenmare was built by Jackie Healy Rae’s family. Mr Healy’s Rae family was involved in the preparatory work on the project, but had no role in the building of the facility.