Taoiseach hits out at claims by PAC chairman

Fianna Fáil is standing behind TD John McGuinness after the Taoiseach labelled as “damaging” his remarks that the State should pay for ministers’ spouses to travel on trade missions.

Mr McGuinness, the head of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), rejected calls for his resignation over requests he made to bring his wife on state trips when he was a minister.

He now faces questions from Oireachtas colleagues.

The controversy has arisen over information revealing that Mr McGuinness, when a junior minister in 2007, asked department officials if the State would pay to bring his wife on trips.

In a series of emails with department officials, he said it was “always my intention to pay for my wife” but that he believed there was a “strong case” to be made for the taxpayer paying for ministerial spouses’ travel.

He made requests for his wife to be included on a trip to Dubai in Aug 2007 and asked for her to be included on a trip to Canada the same year.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny, speaking in Rome yesterday, said that Mr McGuinness’s remarks were “damaging” for the PAC and “smacked of the abuse and arrogance the Government inherited [from Fianna Fáil] after 14 years”.

Traditionally the main opposition party nominates the chairperson of PAC.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin defended his TD last night: “No one, from any corner of politics or the media, has questioned John McGuinness’s performance as chair of the PAC committee in this regard.”

However, Labour raised questions about the chairman’s position. Alan Kelly, the junior transport minister, said Mr McGuinness’s position was “questionable” and “should be considered”. He told Newstalk that Mr McGuinness was not “practising what he preaches” as chairman of the Dáil spending watchdog.

Mr McGuinness stood over his requests, made when he was a junior minister at the Department of Enterprise. He said his wife had not travelled on trade missions but had joined him on St Patrick’s Day visits abroad, which the Government funded.

He said he had sought to bring his wife on his first trade mission as a minister and had sought clarification. He said he was told he could not bring her even though he offered to pay.

He told RTÉ he had asked that regulations be modernised so spouses’ travel was covered on trips.

Independent TD Finian McGrath said the PAC chairman should resign. Fellow committee member and Fine Gael TD Simon Harris said a “drip feed of allegations” against the PAC chairman were undermining the committee’s work.