Coveney to be grilled on 'calamitous' Zappone appointment to UN role

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and former children's minister Katherine Zappone, who was appointed as UN special envoy on freedom of opinion and expression in July amid accusations of cronyism. File picture:: Gareth Chaney/ Collins

Simon Coveney will appear before the Foreign Affairs Committee on August 31 to answer questions over the controversial appointment of Katherine Zappone as UN envoy.

Former children's minister Ms Zappone was appointed as UN special envoy on freedom of opinion and expression in July amid accusations of cronyism as the job was not publicly advertised.

Ms Zappone has since said she would not be taking up the role due to the ongoing public disquiet over how she was selected for the job. The role required 50 days of work a year, and came with an annual salary of €15,000. 

“It is my conviction that a special envoy role can only be of real value to Ireland and to the global community if the appointment is acceptable to all parties," she said.

“For this reason, I have decided not to accept this appointment."

Social Democrat TD Gary Gannon wrote to chair of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee Charlie Flanagan to request that the committee examine the appointment.

The committee is to question the Foreign Affairs Minister on the number of special envoys Ireland currently has, their roles, functions and the current cost to the State.

It is expected the bulk of the questioning will be around how Ms Zappone, who lives in the US, came to be appointed to the role.

Future of the role

Sinn Féin TD Sorca Clarke, a committee member, said while questions remain around the appointment, the future of the role must also be discussed.

"I would be looking to know the job specification, and are they going to readvertise it, and what criteria they will be asking for," she said.

If you take Zappone out of this calamity, and it was a calamity, there is a real opportunity here for the right person with the right experience to make a role like this their own.

"We need to know the conditions of employment and what will be expected of the candidate and how those criteria will be met," she said,

Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy has also written to the chair of the Public Accounts Committee asking that PAC examine the appointment over "public concern regarding the value-for-money of this appointment and the process undertaken in advance of the appointment".