Gormley pledges to publish docklands report
A spokesperson said the minister “fully intends” to publish the report which he was last night accused of “keeping secret”.
Fine Gael environment spokesperson Phil Hogan said Mr Gormley should “stop protecting the political reputation of Fianna Fáil and publish the report”.
He was speaking after a former senator of Mr Gormley’s Green Party, Déirdre de Búrca, said the findings will cause a “great deal of discomfort” forFianna Fáil and, for that reason, will not be madepublic.
Ms de Búrca, who claims to know the contents of the report, said: “I’m aware that it contains evidence of serious malpractice. I believe that the report needs to be published urgently, and I believe that its findings need to be acted on.”
Mr Gormley ordered the report which examines corporate governance and planning issues in the state agency which had a write down of €186m on its investments, mainly relating to its stake in the former Irish Glass Bottles site.
A spokesperson for the Green Party ministers in Government said two reports carried out by Professor Niamh Brennan “were furnished to the department earlier this month and he fully intends to publish them”.
However, he said the minister “must first receive advice from the Attorney General’s office on the contents of the reports”.
Ms de Búrca claims the Green Party leader is sitting on it because it contains findings that will be damaging for Fianna Fáil.
“The publication of the report will probably cause a good deal of discomfort to our Government partners and I’m not convinced that there is a willingness there to publish it and to act on its findings,” she told RTÉRadio in her first public interview since resigning from the party 10 days ago.
“My own sense would be that there will be an attempt to sit on it or to delay its publication.”
Labour leader Eamon Gilmore is expected to raise the issue in the Dáil this week.
He said Ms de Búrca’s claims may or may not be true, but “there is only one way to clear this up, and that is for the minister to publish the documents immediately”.
Fine Gael’s Mr Hogan, said Mr Gormley is being “economical with the truth” by not publishing the reports.
The other Green Party member in cabinet, Eamon Ryan, insisted there is no reluctance to publish the reports.
“We need to uncover what happened and take any actions that are recommended, and that will happen,” he said.
