Sinn Féin calls on Simon Harris to address Martin Conway controversy in Dáil 

Martin Conway resigned from the Fine Gael parliamentary party over the weekend after admitting to being arrested by gardaí for being intoxicated in public

Martin Conway was subject to a separate internal investigation over allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a female party staff member. File picture: Damien Storan

A group of Sinn Féin politicians have written to Tánaiste Simon Harris asking that he use Dáil time to address the Martin Conway affair.

Mr Conway resigned from the Fine Gael parliamentary party over the weekend after admitting to being arrested by gardaí for being intoxicated in public. He said he had been arrested on Dublin’s O’Connell Street on January 22 for being in an intoxicated state “due to consumption of sleeping tablets and alcohol”.

The senator was subject to a separate internal investigation over allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a female party staff member.

The Sinn Féin letter says that it is "of particular concern" that Mr Conway is reported to have paid a sum of €10,000 to charity in the aftermath of the 2018 incident, which was investigated in 2020 but did not come to light until recently.

In a letter sent on Thursday, Sinn Féin TD Louise O'Reilly and senators Maria McCormack, Joanne Collins, Pauline Tully and Nicole Ryan have asked Mr Harris to allocate Dáil time to address the issues surrounding the Clare-based senator.

"It is of particular concern that Senator Conway allegedly acted inappropriately with a member of Oireachtas party political staff. That a sum of €10,000 was paid out in respect of this incident. Questions must be answered as to why this money was paid out to whom it was paid and what was the purpose of making such a payment.

"Senator Conway was subsequently supported by the Fine Gael party in contesting elections for the Dáil for the Clare constituency and thereafter to the Seanad as your candidate. There are many questions to be answered and it is necessary that as Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader that you [Mr Harris] come before the Dáil this week to make a full statement and take questions on these matters."

Speaking in Dublin yesterday, Mr Harris said that the party had investigated the issue and determined that no further action would be taken after an apology was issued.

Mr Harris said: “From my perspective — when the issue had been examined, when an apology had been issued, when it was deemed at that stage that no further action was required, it would be a very unusual thing for a new leader to then reopen a matter that in that context was deemed to require no further action many years past.” 

Mr Harris said there would be a disciplinary process for Mr Conway centred around the circumstances of his arrest, but added that it would also take into account any previous issues that had arisen.