Texts suggest Simon Coveney knew of Air Corps whistleblowers

Government chief whip Regina Doherty passed an air corps whistleblower’s requests for contact with Housing Minister Simon Coveney onto her Cabinet colleague last year, contrary to Mr Coveney’s claims he was unaware of any such appeal.

Significant inconsistencies have emerged in the Government’s account of how it managed the warnings it received relating to concerns for Air Corps technicians’ health.

The Irish Examiner has learned that, in January 2016, Ms Doherty forwarded a text message onto one of the whistleblowers that she said came from then-Defence Minister Coveney. The message claimed Mr Coveney would call this whistleblower the next day.