Dáil approves appointment of former Fianna Fáil senator to Sipo

Geraldine Feeney was a Fianna Fáil senator from 2002 and 2011.

The Dáil has voted to approve the appointment of former Fianna Fáil senator Geraldine Feeney to the Standards In Public Office Commission (SIPO).

The vote was held this evening on Ms Feeney's appointment as an ordinary member of the commission without debate and saw 87 TDs from the Government parties, Regional Group and the Independent Group voting in favour.

Ms Feeney was a Fianna Fáil senator from 2002 and 2011 and has been nominated by the Government to fill the former Oireachtas member vacancy on the State's ethics watchdog.

She later worked as a lobbyist for the now-defunct NAGP union. Sipo has been asked to investigate the leaking of a confidential document by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar to the NAGP in 2019.

The opposition has been broadly critical of the appointment, with Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty tweeting: "Government parties have just voted to put Geraldine Feeney, a former Fianna Fáil Senator and chief lobbyist for the NAGP onto the Standards Commission. This is taking place as that body is about to investigate Leo Varadkar for leaking confidential documents to his friend in the NAGP."

His party colleague Matt Carthy said that the vote showed "insider politics [is] alive and well", while Rise TD Paul Murphy said that the move was "blatant".

A lot of bad things get passed in the Dail, but this one managed to largely slip under the radar considering how scandalous it is.

Geraldine Feeney former lobbyist for NAGP just voted onto SIPO where she will investigate a complaint involving... the NAGP.

Blatant. pic.twitter.com/eui2FyBREf

— Paul Murphy 🇵🇸 (@paulmurphy_TD) November 18, 2020

"A lot of bad things get passed in the Dáil, but this one managed to largely slip under the radar considering how scandalous it is."

The lobbying register shows that Ms Feeney officially lobbied on behalf of the NAGP eight times in 2017 and 2018, including a meeting in March 2017 with Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

The meeting, according to the register was held to "discuss best practice in the health services" and included now MEP Billy Kelleher.