Coveney breaks silence on Department of Foreign Affairs champagne party
The picture shows the department’s then secretary general Niall Burgess in the foreground and a gathering of other staff members celebrating behind him, not socially distancing and raising champagne glasses.
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has finally broken his silence on the champagne reception involving his officials saying he spent 10 minutes with staff members on the night in question.
Mr Coveney in a statement has said he did not attend any champagne celebration on the day that Ireland won a United Nations Security Council seat.
However, he has confirmed he thanked various members of staff in his department in the wake of the result.
The Minster, a Fine Gael TD for Cork South-Central, said he did not see the breach in Covid guidelines that occurred in Iveagh House as shown in a photograph posted on social media by the department’s then secretary-general and now Ireland’s Ambassador to France Niall Burgess that evening.
The picture shows Mr Burgess in the foreground and a gathering of other staff members celebrating behind him, not socially distancing and raising champagne glasses.
The Minister confirmed last week that he was not in the building when the picture was taken but had not responded to questions on whether he had attended celebrations in Iveagh House at any point that evening until today.
Mr Coveney has released a statement to the which states: “June 17th, 2020, was a workday for me. At no point during that day did I attend a champagne celebration. I was in Government Buildings for the UN Security Council vote.
“It was at this time a photograph was taken at Iveagh House that showed DFA officials breaching Covid guidelines.
“I had no prior knowledge of this impromptu gathering in the workplace.
Mr Coveney added that after the vote that night he held meetings, calls and a press conference in Government Buildings before returning to work in his department.
He said: “I spoke to and thanked the staff involved in the UN campaign in the UN section of Iveagh House.
“I did not see the Covid breach from the earlier photograph and I was thanking our officials in their workplace on a workday for the work they had done on behalf of the State.
“After 10 minutes I returned to my office in Iveagh House to prepare for a call with the Norwegian foreign minister and for ongoing briefings on the coalition government negotiations.”
Speaking on Tuesday at Government Buildings, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that Mr Coveney had made it clear that he was not at the event posted on social media by Mr Burgess.
Mr Martin said: “It was wrong and it shouldn’t have happened but that said the apology has come from the principals involved and it was a lapse of judgment in relation to what happened there.”
But he ruled out any disciplinary proceedings brought against anyone, saying “we don’t intend to pursue it any further.”
The Opposition has been scathing in its criticism.
Former Labour Party leader and current spokesman on foreign affairs Brendan Howlin said it was “a most ill-judged gathering that caused offence to many people struggling to comply with Covid regulations.”
He said: “A full and comprehensive statement from the Minister would be welcome.”
Gary Gannon of the Social Democrats said: “Simon Coveney should have learned from the Katherine Zappone controversy that he doesn’t get to decide what is and what isn’t a cause of concern in the eyes of the public.
"He should clarify exactly what role if any, he partook in the celebrations that occurred during the midst of a strict societal lockdown.
Did he reprimand his officials once he became aware and if not, why not?"
Sinn Féin spokesman John Brady said it was “unacceptable” that Mr Coveney had not addressed the matter.
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