Cullen claims undeclared payment is above board

SPORTS Minister Martin Cullen has said an undeclared payment made to him by a business in his constituency was above board.

The accounts for Delaney’s Pharmacy in Johnstown, Waterford, listed a €1,240 donation to the Martin Cullen Fund prior to the 2007 general election.

This figure is almost twice the legal limit at which all TDs must file records with the Standards in Public Office Commission.

For 2007, Mr Cullen had declared 13 donations ranging from €1,000 to €2,530 but the Delaney payment was not included – two companies made payments of identical sums to him.

However, a spokeswoman for Mr Cullen said the timing of the payments relieved him of the responsibility to publish the donation.

She said this was because it was given in two identical tranches of €620 either side of the new year, each €14.37 under the reporting threshold.

“We have checked the records and Minister Cullen did receive a cheque from the company in December 06 for €620 and another in February 2007. Both amounts were below the threshold, but it appeared as one payment on their accounts because their financial year was from March to April,” she said.

Annual returns filed with the Companies Registration Office revealed payments to six deputies, three under the disclosure limit.

The largest donation appeared on the statements of Miller Brothers Stone Development company in Roundstone, Co Wicklow.

This showed €2,500 was given to the then government TD Joe Behan. Mr Behan, who left Fianna Fáil in protest at the medical card changes in October’s budget, had disclosed this among €37,600 worth of donations he registered with SIPO.

Fine Gael’s justice spokesman Charles Flanagan was named in company accounts of Hyland Kenrick Investments Ltd. This €1,000 sum matched his self-declaration to SIPO.

A post-election payment to his party colleague, Fergus O’Dowd, was also included on the return of Mosney Irish Holidays PLC.

This was for €600 and was given on December 12, 2007. Mr O’Dowd did not have to declare this because it was under the limit.

The same clause applied to Cork North Central Fianna Fáil deputy, Noel O’Flynn, who had a payment of €500 filed in the accounts of Goldstar Telecommunications Ltd, in Cork.

And Mayo deputy Beverly Flynn, who returned to Fianna Fáil from political exile in 2008, had a €250 donation registered by the Poplar Linens Trading Company in Mayo.

All senators and TDs are obliged to inform SIPO of any payment received by a person or company exceeding €634.87 in a calendar year.

But, as in the case of Mr Cullen, if a company’s financial year straddles New Year’s Day two donations marginally under the limit can be accepted without being published.

Records from SIPO showed that in the election year of 2007 TDs, senators and MEPs accepted €855,995 and this fell by 81% last year.