Golfgate: 'Cavalier' attitude of Phil Hogan lost public confidence, says Róisín Shortall

Mr Hogan yesterday published a timeline of his travels in Ireland. Picture: ERIC PIERMONT/AFP via Getty Images

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall has said that statements from EU Commissioner Phil Hogan about his movements around Ireland while he should have been in self-isolation had raised more questions and had not provided answers.

The Commissioner had lost the confidence of the public with his “cavalier” attitude, she told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.

Ms Shortall said she believed his position was untenable and he needed to do the right thing and step down and that he should do the honourable thing.

“The longer this goes on it is bringing the country into disrepute.” 

The controversies of the last week in relation to the breaches of guidelines that Mr Hogan had engaged in were a distraction from the Government’s response to Covid-19, she said.

“It is unfair at the very least for the Commissioner to continue this controversy.” 

Mr Hogan needed to provide full answers about his breach of public health guidelines.

“His behaviour is completely unacceptable.” Ms Shortall said that the ‘drip feeding’ of information meant that what information had been received to date was “incomplete and inconsistent.”