Rabbitte denies interfering over Eirgrid appointment

Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte was accused of “interfering” with a committee’s work after TDs backed down from opposing the appointment of the new chairman of Eirgrid.

A motion calling on the Government to reject John O’Connor’s appointment was instead amended to “reaffirm” concerns from the Oireachtas committee on communications. Mr O’Connor was previously chair of An Bord Pleanála.

The U-turn has angered the Opposition, with TD Mattie McGrath claiming a letter sent to the committee by Mr Rabbitte amounted to “a deeply inappropriate use of ministerial authority.”

But committee chairman John O’Mahony denied this. “He [the minister] was answering our concerns. It didn’t interfere with the work of the committee...”

A spokesman for Mr Rabbitte said: “The claim is nonsense. The committee sent a transcript of the discussion to the minister for his consideration. He considered the document carefully and wrote back to the committee conveying his views on the issues raised.”